A delegation of teachers of Jamia Hafsa Lal Masjid visiting the Jamia Taleem-ul-Quran after curfew was lifted in Rawalpindi on Monday morning. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
Students from the Jamia Hafsa seminary - located adjacent to Lal Masjid - and traders gathered outside Raja Bazaar in Pindi at around 11am and chanted slogans against the administration. These demonstrations began soon after Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah's press conference in which he assured the public that the government would take swift action against the culprits behind the clashes.
Students of the seminary tried to protest on College Road but the army did not allow them to.
The army and police had arrived at the bazaar shortly after the protest started and since then all routes leading to Raja Bazaar have been closed off.
In light of the rising tensions, vehicles are not allowed to pass through the area and pedestrians are not being granted access either.
The district administration also banned the sale of petrol for motorcycles.
On November 15, sectarian clashes had erupted at an Ashura procession near Fawara Chowk, that left at least nine people dead and over 80 injured. Unidentified people had also set a portion of the cloth market in Raja Bazaar on fire.
The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) in Rawalpindi announced that intermediate papers have been postponed. The papers were earlier scheduled for 2pm today.
Shops in Raja Bazaar, Gawalmandi and on Murree Road were also closed.
Imambarghas and other sensitive areas are on high alert following the protest. The army has been deployed in Rawal Town and at Raja Bazaar and Fawara Chowk.
RPO Rawalpindi suspended
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday evening suspended RPO Rawalpindi over riots in the city on November 15.
Probe team
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has formed a team to investigate the Rawalpindi clashes that occurred on November 15, Express News reported.
Counter Terrorism Division (CTD) Additional Inspector General (AIG) Aftab Cheema will head the team.
Cheema has already reached Rawalpindi with his team, who will investigate the clashes and take action without discrimination, according to a spokesperson for the government.
Some evidence has already been collected according to reports.
COMMENTS (51)
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It is fact that so many people have lost their lives due to failure to implement the security plan and change in duties of the police officers on spot
What is the purpose of this visit ... spew more venom? The Army should have stopped them since police is so inept.
I have a question for my shia brothers; why do you carry the arsenic chemical with your processions. People believed when you said that Bolton Market was burnt by the MQM but what now?
The number of persons killed are under-disclosed. Why should not the believers of "Open Discussion" discussing this issue openly?
If we cannot live together then let us have seperate areas of residence to maintain peace.
@Omer So i guess one community is always self cliamed "Mazloom"!!!
@azmat: The same seminary we had problem with before along with the Lal Masjid?
Need I say more?
Same sad story that we all know! RPO suspended. See, an example of Good Governence... Is suspension a justified punishment?
SO much blame upon government. Although its an act of failure on part of administration.
But we should not ignore the fact that the way pujab govt over came the matter after the incident is appreciatable. If they wont have taken the curfew then the fire would have lid the whole country. After three days the people in general have come to awarness what have actually come to place before that every one was ignorent.
I thing the biggest failure was on part of police and pindi administratives ..
Please people dont lid the fire any more by talking much about shia and sunnis. what happened was the act of few who undoubtly are the third party niether belong to any group.
Appreciate piece talks and no blame game without facts and evidence
@pakistani
I live in pindi too and know that not a single one has been burnt and there is no question of any razed to the ground. It is just disgustingly laughable statements made by hate mongers but the good thing is that they are exposed now. It is but a fact that the mosque and seminary are fully gutted and razed and anyone can verify that.
Last year in Karachi there was a similar incident on Ashura where Boulton Market was burned down. Everyone was quick to blame shias but eyewitnesses say that it was not them who burnt it down. When the procession went pass the market, men dressed in black pretending to be shias could be heard saying that now is the time to ignite the fire.
Why our policies are so anti sunni despite majority. Need massive overhauling!
@Ali,
answer to your question about Imambargahs being burnt. see picture https://twitter.com/kassamally/status/402130322365882368/photo/1
Where is Nawaz Sharif?
@Ali, please check your sources. Most imambargahs have been burnt and razed in the city centre. It is all over social media too.
@omer: this is a very irresponsible statement from you. imambargahs are intact and are protected in pindi. its people like u who say things without any evidence..
If only everyone becomes a true muslim all our problems will be solved, this is only happening due to the lack of IMAAN....
Look at this outrage and anger by these religious students and schools. However, when the Shia Hazara were killed by hundreds there was no outrage by these burqa clad women and men. Of course the traders should be compensated for their loss depending upon the average of their last 3-5 years of tax returns. Hopefully these religious people would support this just and fair proposal.
What is Jamia Hafsa doing there? Fishing in troubled waters!
@Omer
No one knows except you that imambaras were burnt in pindi. The propaganda on social media has went silent as the city is open and people can see that all the baras are fully intact. It was the mosque and seminary that is totally burnt and everyone knows that.
Where is Jinnah's Pakistan heading to? Shias should unite and take it back from.salafis.
6 suicide bombers. any disagree?
@A Abid S: Your comment made my day.Cheers.
@Zohair: Idea of tax returns is great but still why should we pay? They should have insurance against such incidents.
shanist, maybe it was the other way around? We know that most of the Imambargahs in Rawalpindi were burnt.
Abid, thanks for making my day!
@shanist Collective funeral prayer of 3 persons was offered, so where did rest 147 bodies go? One wonders where are dead bodies of those slaughtered children?
Man these Jamia Hafza girls have some passion...in a really awkward way its kind of hot....wounder if they are good looking.....
Delegates from Lal Masjid tells the whole story --- it's an unholy alliance of LalMasjid, TTP, SSP, LeJ,LeT which is bent upon to destroy Pakistan. Good luck.
So what are the facts? No body clearly telling about the number of casualties and No body terming this as shia genocide??? Means all those killed were sunni!!! Some 150 or more. Besides i didnt see any protest at Numaish - karachi during last two days.
Isn't Liberalism the cure for religious extremism. And I'm a proud liberal, following 'Live and let others live'.
@Zohair
I can gaurantee you that 99% of them dont even have NTN. Heck they dont even know what NTN is.
@fawad:
Despite their failure to the "Basic," the the government still managed to successfully discharge its duties during the Ashura as compared to the past when suicide bombings and target killings were rampant.
Quit trolling senselessly trying to score a few crappy and lousy brownie points. This isn't the time and the forum.
judiciary and Punjab govt is patronising militant groups .Lal Masjid Mullana Burka was released by C.J....we need bold leaders to deal with them..all seminary involved in terrorism should be banned
Wondering if the ladies of Jamia Hafsa accompanied by their 'Mahrams' (husbands, fathers or brothers) !!!!!
shah, the seminary is named in the article. Its Jamia Hafsa seminary.
@The Only Normal Person Here: ever heard of raiwind, my friend?
@Imran. You make people who are against LeJ ASWJ and TTP look bad. Are you really going to stoop to the level of the same small minded people who give credit to India/America when something goes wrong? The mob burned those shops not some boogeymen from KSA. It is politically incorrect to say that Shias did this, some people who were part of the Shiite procession did this barbaric intolerant act.
Learn how to not be a mindless troll on the internet please.
I hope people do not start blaming 'Na Maloom Afraad' for this also.
The administration should compensate the traders and the compensation should be calculated based on the the business health as per the tax returns filed by them.
@open secret: If you know who the criminals are then why dont you expose them. Name them. Go to the media and expose them. Go on, be patriotic.
Everyone knows who lit the bazaar on fire. The people who lived their would never burn their own shops. The Answer is very clear.