Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday directed the Punjab government to strictly deal with those responsible for Friday’s deadly clashes in Rawalpindi.
“The miscreants responsible for this incident should not be spared. They must be defeated in their nefarious designs of creating discord in the society,” the premier told Shahbaz Sharif in a phone call from Colombo where he is attending the Commonwealth heads of government conference.
The chief minister briefed him on the measures taken by the administration to defuse tensions in the area. Shahbaz said that he and his team were monitoring the situation on a minute-to-minute basis in consultation with Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and interior ministry.
The chief minister has already written to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) asking for a judicial inquiry. “The IHC has been asked to appoint a senior judge to probe into the incident, fix responsibility and suggest punishment for the culprits,” a source told The Express Tribune.
On his part, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called religious scholars from different schools of thought and leaders of religio-political parties and asked them to play their role in defusing tensions.
Chiefs of the two main factions of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam appealed to the people to remain calm and peaceful. “The Rawalpindi incident should be thoroughly investigated. People should exercise restraint and they should foil this conspiracy to disrupt peace in Pakistan,” said JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq.
The JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said: “Sectarian clashes are unacceptable. Pakistani people should thwart the conspiracies to pitch Muslims against Muslims.” He added that barring the Rawalpindi tragedy, the overall security situation in the country remained peaceful during Ashura.
Ahmed Ludhianvi, the chief of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, condemned the clashes and blamed the district administration for the incident.
Chief of Tehreek Nifaz Fiqah-e-Jafariya Agha Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi, while denouncing the violence, criticised the local administration for the inadequate security measures put in place during Ashura. He appealed to the people to remain calm. “We will join hands for peace in the country,” he added.
The federal interior minister chaired a meeting of law-enforcement agencies where three provincial ministers – Rana Sanaullah, Raja Asfaq Sarwar and Khanzada Shujah – were also in attendance. The meeting directed the local administration to evaluate the losses to property for subsequent compensation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2013.