Shifted to unidentified location; inhabitants run out of supplies. PHOTO: FILE
Punjab police on Sunday night launched a search operation in the troubled areas of Bhakkar city and arrested 29 suspects belonging to rival sects.
District Police Officer (DPO) Bhukkur Sarfaraz Ahmed Falki had constituted 12 teams that raided various parts of the Kotla Jam and adjoining areas as curfew continued to paralise life in Bhakkar.
Those rounded up have been shifted to an unidentified location and their names have not been disclosed. The media has also not been informed about the identities of the arrested persons.
Sectarian violence had broken out in the city and claimed 12 lives after a rally of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was attacked on Friday.
The police have registered cases against 109 nominated and about 80 unidentified persons under sections 302, 324, 435, 148, 149, 7-9 ATA at Police Station Saddar Bhakkar
The police also raided the main seminary of the ASWJ – Jamia-e-Khulfa-e-Rashdin – and arrested all the students and teachers present at the time of the raid.
The district leader of the ASWJ Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haqqani said the police had resorted to highhandedness and that his group strongly condemned the raid. Meanwhile, sources confirmed that 10 people were taken into custody from the seminary.
Following the police action, women marched to Hussaini Chowk in Kotla Jam and blocked traffic to protest the arrests. Meanwhile Quran Khawani for the deceased, who lost their lives a day earlier, was held in Darya Khan in which a large number of people participated.
Authorities on Sunday gave some relaxation in the curfew during which the situation seemed to revert to normalcy. The police and rangers patrolled the city roads.
Milk, fruit and vegetable shops and other small vendors opened their shops during the curfew break; however, the main markets remained closed.
As no fresh supplies had reached the markets, the stock finished quickly, causing a shortage of goods in the city. There was a great demand for prepaid balance at cell phone shops.
The District Coordination Officer (DCO) Mumtaz Hussain Zahid said Section 144 was still in force and advised the people not to believe in rumours.
In view of the law and order situation, the Dera-Bhakkar Bridge also remained closed, causing inconvenience to passengers.
Reactions of local leaders
“The bloody events have badly destroyed the peace of the city,” said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Punjab Deputy Secretary General Maulana Muhammad Safiullah. He said some miscreants kidnapped members of his group and ruthlessly murdered them. “All norms of humanity have been violated during these attacks,” he added.
He demanded that the district administration arrest all the culprits and make an example of them. “Kotla Jam has turned into a centre of the miscreants, who should not be spared as they do not deserve any concession,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami’s former district amir Malik Sanaullah Awan condemned the incident and said the police and the district administrations were responsible for it as they did not take any steps to avert it.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ