Threatening Letter: Security at Sakhi Sarwar shrine put on high alert

Threatening letter was found in one of the donation boxes placed at the shrine.

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

Security arrangements have been beefed up at the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar following the discovery of an anonymous letter threatening the organisers with dire consequences if they do not abandon some of the rituals at the festival. 

Auqaf district administrator Muhammad Amjad said the letter was found in one of the donation boxes placed at the shrine.

DPO Chaudary Muhammad Saleem said such warnings were received regularly. However, he said, security at and around the shrine had been put on high alert to avoid any untoward incident.

The letter, which has been handed over to law enforcement agencies, had objected to the practice of dhamal, distribution of niaz (blessed food) and kissing of the grave. It referred to a similar letter sent to the organisers last year and said that they had not learnt any lesson.

The letter received last year was followed by two terrorist attacks at the shrine that killed more than 55 people and injured over 150.

People claiming to be Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan spokespersons had claimed responsibility for these attacks. Thousands of devotees had gathered for the annual urs celebrations at the shrine some 40 kilometres away from Dera Ghazi Khan city when the attacks took place.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2012.