Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine opens for public

Repairs and cleaning work is completed before shrine is declared open again.

KARACHI: The shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi was reopened for visitors on Saturday evening - two days after the twin blasts in which at least 10 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured.

“We have reopened the shrine for devotees as we could not deny them entry because of their strong beliefs,” said TPO Clifton Tariq Dharejo.

The repairs and cleaning work was completed before the shrine was declared open again.

The cleaning of the blast site started after law-enforcement agencies had gathered evidence. The Sindh Auqaf department monitored the cleaning carried out by the fire department and volunteers.

The home department has now been given the responsibility of the shrine’s security, said Sindh Auqaf Minister Abdul Haseeb Khan.

New security plan

According to the shrine’s new security plan, the central gate has been closed and now the devotees will be asked to enter through three different gates after a security check. The Auqaf minister said that new walk-through gates and other security instruments are being purchased.

Other shrines in the city were also opened for the public on Saturday.

Mirza briefs the president

Sindh home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza briefed President Asif Ali Zardari about the initial investigation report on the attack at a meeting at Bilawal House on Saturday. The initial report was submitted to the home minister by law-enforcement agencies investigating the blasts.

According to Bilawal House officials, the home minister informed the president that because there were scores of devotees present at the shrine on Thursday, there was a security lapse and it became difficult to stop the attackers in time.

Earlier reports had suggested that one of the suicide bombers was identified as Naseebullah. However, the man identified as Naseebullah reached his house on Saturday morning. He had left home after a family fight.

Meanwhile, CCPO Karachi Fayyaz Leghari has said that it would be premature to say anything about the investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2010.