Raja Bazaar clashes: Revamped market to open in August

Friday prayers started in mosque and the surrounding revamped market would be inaugurated in first week of August

RAWALPINDI:

A member of the Damage Assessment Committee for the Raja Bazaar incident Sharjeel Mir said on Friday that around 80 per cent work on the reconstruction of the affected seminary and shops has been completed.

“Construction work is in full swing and the contractor has so far completed 80 per cent of the work at the site while the remaining work will hopefully be completed by the end of this month,” he said.

Friday prayers have been started in the mosque and the surrounding revamped market would be inaugurated in the first week of August.

Meanwhile, District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dall said that construction work is in full swing and would be completed within a month. He said the government was giving full attention to resolve problems of traders in aftermath of the incident to restart their business.

At least 13 persons were killed and scores injured in sectarian clashes in Raja Bazaar in November 2013. The Taleemul Quran seminary, which was the scene of the incident, was damaged along with several shops of the bazaar in subsequent clashes.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2015.