Eid Miladun Nabi: Security arrangements for processions finalised

The Sunni Ittihad Council had staged a sit-in protesting insufficient arrangements.

FAISALABAD:

District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal and City Police Officer Haider Ashraf on Wednesday visited Eid Miladun Nabi procession routes and reviewed the security and administrative arrangements for Jashn-i-Eid Milad (to be held on January 14).

They visited Ghulam Muhammadabad, Sadar Bazaar, Medina Chowk, Piranwala Chowk and Kashmir Road.

The DCO directed the town municipal administrations to remove encroachments along the routes and ensure proper cleanliness.

He said arrangements would be made to illuminate the routes for milad processions at night.



Mengal said that close liaison should be maintained with peace committees to ensure sectarian harmony.

CPO Ashraf said a comprehensive security plan had been devised so that no untoward incidents would occur during processions and sessions. He said the traffic police had also made a plan to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

He requested the organising committees to adhere to the schedule for processions.

The DCO and the CPO visited the Gol Jamia Masjid and Jamia Qasmia and called on Sahibzada Zahid Mahmud Qasmi and discussed matters pertaining to Jashan-i-Eid Miladun Nabi with them. They also visited the shrine of Mian Ghulam Qadir and met with Pir Mian Ghulam Mustafa and Mian Rashid Mahmud.

The religious leaders thanked the visiting officers and promised their full cooperation for maintaining peace and harmony.

Later, the DCO and CPO held a meeting with the Markaz-i-Milad Committee and discussed the security arrangements.

Religious groups protest

The Sunni Ittihad Council had led several religious organisations, on Tuesday night in staging a demonstration at Zila Council Chowk to protest, what, “insufficient security arrangements and a ban on mehafil-i-milad and processions”.

The sit-in was headed by Sunni Ittihad Council chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza. Members of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Ahle Sunnat, Anjuman Talaba Islam, Tehrik Minhajul Quran, Dawat-i-Islami, Pakistan Sunni Tehrik, Anjuman Fidayan-i-Rasool, Muhaddis-i-Azam Foundation, Jamia Razavia Mazharul Islam, Jamia Qadria, Jamia Nooria, Tehrik Ushaq-i-Rasool, Noorul Huda Foundation, Sunni Ulema Board, Sunni Ulema Foundation, Anjuman Asaatiza Pakistan, Sunni Youth Wing, Sipa-i-Mustafa Pakistan, Marzaki Mehal Committee, Aasitana Aalia Qadriyya Naushayya, Sunni Tanzeemul Quran and Al-Burhan International also participated.

Raza said that the groups were not satisfied with the security arrangements. “We will file a police complaint against the interior and law ministers if any untoward incidents occur,” he said. “Eid Milad-i-Nabi is a sacred event for all Muslims. Providing us insufficient security is a matter of shame for the government.”

He said the government must also set up billboards carrying darood-o-salaam and provide the Sunni leaders proper representation on all forums.

“If the government does not accept our demands, we will arrange the milad sessions at Zila Council Chowk and stage sit-ins on all important intersections and roads in the city,” he said.

The protest went on for more than 10 hours. When no administration officer visited the sit-in, the protesters blocked GTS Chowk, Haji Abad, Jameel Abad and Kutchery Chowk.

DCO Mengal then called Raza to his office for negotiations. Raza, Syed Hidayat Rasool, Maulana Nasir Naqshbandi, Maulana Asif Raza and Chaudhry Khalid Anwaar went to the DCO’s office and told him that they would expand the scope of the protest if the government did not accept their demands.

Mengal told them that the government would meet all their demands.

He assured them that proper security arrangements had been made for all milad processions. The protest was then called off.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2014.