'Sectarian' clashes: Expose the third force if it exists, Mufti Muneeb demands

Says Rawalpindi incident could have been avoided if culprits of previous clashes were brought to justice.

KARACHI: If a 'third force' is involved in carrying out and inciting sectarian clashes in Pakistan as claimed by many, it should be exposed, Mufti Muneebur Rehman said on Sunday.

He was addressing a press conference in Karachi. Rehman criticised the media for quickly labeling the incident a sectarian clash and said such a portrayal should be avoided or limited.

The cleric said the Rawalpindi incident could have been avoided if those involved in Karachi’s Boulton Market attack in 2009 were brought to justice.

Condemning the recent clash that killed around nine people during a Muharram 10 procession, Rehman said both Shias and Sunnis are claiming innocence, therefore a detailed inquiry is the need of the hour.

Rawalpindi clash

The violence was apparently ignited by the storming of a religious seminary in Raja Bazaar. Some unidentified people attacked the policemen deployed outside the seminary as well and snatched their weapons before resorting to firing.

The mob later set the seminary and nearby shops on fire. More than a hundred shops were gutted according to local traders, as firemen struggled to put out the blaze. Ambulances ferried the dead and the injured to nearby hospitals.