Curfew in Bhakkar after deadly clashes

The curfew was imposed a day after 12 people were killed in sectarian clashes.

BHAKKAR: Authorities clamped a curfew on parts of this western Punjab district a day after 12 people were killed in bloody sectarian clashes. Tension prevailed in the region where all educational institutes and businesses were closed as rival communities mourned their dead.

Provincial Chief Secretary Javed Aslam said the curfew would not be lifted until normalcy was restored to the affected areas. “The government will not allow anyone to defy the law,” he told a high-level meeting on Saturday. Attendees included the provincial police chief, home secretary, information secretary.

The chief secretary said the government would take serious action against those responsible for Friday’s bloodshed in the Kotla Jam area of Bhakkar. Sources said the curfew has been imposed in the affected areas of Kotla Jam, Darya Khan, Punjgarain and Kawar Kalan.

The unrest was sparked by an armed attack on a rally of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) at Hussaini Chowk Friday evening. One person was killed and three were critically wounded in the attack.
The rally was staged to protest the killing of ASWJ worker Ghulam Muhammad.

The armed attack triggered clashes between ASWJ workers and the Shia community which quickly escalated to the areas of Darya Khan, Panjgerain and Kawar Kalan. In Darya Khan, seven people were wounded in clashes. They were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, where six of them died from their wounds. Later, five bodies were found dumped in the suburbs of Kotla Jam.

In Panjgerain, ASWJ leader Maulana Abdul Hameed claimed that 10 workers of his group had been abducted by their rivals. The claim could not be verified independently due to the prevailing tensions in the area.

Paramilitary rangers have set up checkpoints in the affected areas where tension was palpable. All businesses and educational institutes were closed while the victims were buried amid tight security. ASWJ chief Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi wanted to offer funeral prayers for the slain activists of his group. But the authorities did not allow him to enter Bhakkar due to security reasons.

According to sources, the preliminary investigation report of incident has been submitted to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who had taken notice of the bloody clashes and directed the district police officer and deputy commissioner to investigate what triggered the clashes and who were responsible.


Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2013.