Govt vs religious organisation : Tug-of-war starts over rehabilitation of historical mosque linked to Muslim hero

Rehabilitation of Muhammad Bin Qasim Mosque starts dispute between culture department and religious organisation.

SUKKUR: The rehabilitation of Muhammad Bin Qasim Mosque in Arore, near Sukkur, has started a tug-of-war between the culture department and a religious organisation.

During his visit to the mosque last week, Sindh Culture Department secretary Shams Jafferani ordered the workers to stop the renovations that were being carried out by Tanzeem Fikr-o-Nazar Sindh.

The official claimed that “we are ruining it”, said Tanzeem Fikr-o-Nazar finance secretary and reconstruction committee’s chairperson, Khwaja Jalil Ahmed. “Even though we briefed him about our plans, he didn’t pay any heed,” he said.

The organisation’s representatives insisted, after which the secretary asked them to send the relevant documents for him to study and decide a plan of action. “We are hopeful that the culture department will allow us to carry on with the plan,” said Ahmed.

For his part, Jafferani explained that the mosque is an archaeological site and there are a set of standards which must be adopted for its rehabilitation. According to him, Tanzeem Fikar-o-Nazar was not following these standards and that is why he ordered them to stop.

“I have invited them to visit Dadu, where the rehabilitation of the historic Khuda Abad Mosque is being carried out under my department,” Jafferani told The Express Tribune. He explained that the dome of that mosque had collapsed and the culture department is renovating it according to the standards of archaeology.

Referring to Muhammad Bin Qasim Mosque, he said that it should be preserved and conserved in its actual shape.

“We have prepared the rehabilitation plan of the mosque with the help of renowned archaeologists to restore its historical shape,” Tanzeem Fikr-o-Nazar’s Ahmed told The Express Tribune.

In the first phase, the organisation plans to construct a retaining wall to secure the mosque’s structure. Later, the structure will be repaired. “We have ordered special bricks for the mosque from Rahim Yar Khan,” he said.

The Muhammad Bin Qasim Mosque was built on top of a hill by the first Muslim man to step in the region, Muhammad Bin Qasim, in 711 AD. Given time and poor maintenance, the structure of the mosque has deteriorated. Now only parts of the mosque are visible. History reveals that, during his stay in Arore, Muhammad Bin Qasim used to lead prayers in this mosque and delivered the Friday sermon.

According to Ahmed, in 1985 General Ziaul Haq gave the organisation 13 acres in Arore, which included the mosque. “The culture department filed a case against us in the Sindh High Court when we started the rehabilitation but the verdict was passed in our favour in 1991,” he said. General Zia had also announced a grant of Rs10 million but it never materialised, he added.

During the Pakistan Muslim League era in 1991, president Rafiq Tarar gave Rs500,000 for the rehabilitation of this mosque and the then NWFP chief minister Sardar Mehtab Abbasi also gave Rs500,000, Khawaja said. Former Sukkur district nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah also allocated Rs100,000 from the district’s funds, he added.

In the future, Tanzeem Fikr-o-Nazar plans to establish an Islamic University, a museum and library in Arore. “We have sought the guidance of al Azhar University in Egypt because we want this university to be of international standards,” explained Ahmed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2010.