Pindi curfew to be lifted today

DCO says city will be relieved of lockdown after 6am but Section 144 will remain in place.

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI:

The authorities have announced the lifting of curfew in Rawalpindi from 6am today (Monday), officials said on Sunday.

“The city will be fully relieved on Monday… There will be no curfew after 6am,” Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall told The Express Tribune. “The ban on congregations and public gatherings under section 144 will remain in place, though,” he added.

According to Dall, the army will also remain on standby and can be called if required at any time. He added that Muharram processions and congregations will continue as scheduled and would be provided appropriate security.



The lockdown in Rawalpindi remained for a second consecutive day for much of Sunday. The day, however, progressed far less eventfully than Saturday, as army troops patrolled the garrison city and residents were not allowed to step outside their homes.

The government earlier allowed a five-hour curfew break between 7pm and 12am to provide some relief to stranded residents and allow them to gather necessary supplies. Cellular services were restored in the evening as well.

However, it was re-imposed on the city after the five-hour break.

The district administration clamped the curfew on Friday after violent clashes in the city left nine dead, dozens injured and over a hundred shops gutted.

Earlier on Sunday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told reporters that the situation in Rawalpindi was under control. He also thanked Ulema for their role in defusing tensions. “The Ulema exercised restraint and asked their followers to remain peaceful, which was commendable,” said Nisar. He added that Muharram largely remained peaceful despite multiple security threats at locations across the country.

Defying curfew

After long deliberations with religious scholars, authorities on Sunday allowed one of the groups involved in the clashes to hold funeral prayers for three of the men killed in the Rawalpindi clashes.

Defying curfew, hundreds of the group’s activists reached Liaqat Bagh for the funeral prayers. Many more were denied entry into Rawalpindi by police and army personnel, sparking a brief scuffle.

Eventually, however, the mourners were allowed into the garrison city after religious leaders assured the city administration that the funeral would be held peacefully, a police official told The Express Tribune. Army, Rangers and police contingents cordoned off the area where the funeral was held and ensured the mourners dispersed peacefully afterwards.

Advising restraint

At one point after the funeral prayers, tempers flared among some participants. The leaders present, however, urged calm and controlled the situation.

“We are not in favour of any chaos nor do we want any disturbance in the country,” said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Samiul Haq chief Maulana Samiul Haq, who participated in the funeral.



In Karachi, religious scholars from different schools of thought demanded prompt investigation into the incident. Acting provincial president of the Milli Yekjehti Council Allama Qazi Ahmed Noorani, Mufti Aslam Naeemi, Allama Nazir Abbas Taqvi and Allama Sadiq Raza Taqvi said that the world bore witness to the fact that Pakistani Muslims live together with harmony and observe Ashura and celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi together. They added that the Rawalpindi incident was aimed at tarnishing the image of the country and Muslims.

Prominent religious scholar and Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman demanded that the judicial probe into the ‘tragic incident’ should not be limited to mere ‘fact finding’ and those responsible should be brought to justice.

“If there is any ‘third force’ involved, it should be exposed in order to save the country from further bloodshed,” he said.

Another prominent religious scholar, Mufti Muhammad Naeem, asked for a fair and impartial investigation into the ‘heinous violence’ while holding the Punjab government and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif responsible for the security lapse.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2013.