KARACHI: Lines Area mosque put under police protection
By Tahir Siddiqui
KARACHI, April 11: The Lines Area mosque attacked by enraged protesters on Tuesday night has been out of bounds for worshippers since its takeover by a heavy contingent of police.
A young man was shot and wounded and a police vehicle set ablaze late on Tuesday night when differences between the followers of two schools of thought led to a mob attacking and laying siege to the Jama Masjid Ahle Hadis, Tunisia Lines.
More than a dozen people, including the pesh imam and moazzen of the mosque, were besieged by the supporters and activists of the Sunni Tehri. The besieged including the Jamiat Ahle Hadis Pakistan (JAHP) media advisor Mohammed Yousuf Salfi, were evacuated by the police early this morning.
Eye-witnesses said protestors set on fire more than a dozen motorcycles parked in the mosque compound as a heavy contingent of police took out the besieged people in a police vehicle from the mosque.
The Brigade police said they lodged a case of arson against the Sunni Tehrik activists. They said four ST activists – Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Sakhawat, Mohammed Jawaid and Rehan Qadri, were arrested for arson and acts of violence.
The SHO, Inspector Najam Altaf, told Dawn that a police contingent had been deployed at the mosque to stop any more violence. “The mosque has not been sealed, though no prayers were held,” he added.
The trouble started on Sunday when a JAHP leader, Mufti Mohammed Yousuf, delivered a dars (speech) at the mosque. A mob surrounded the mosque and set ablaze a vehicle to protest against the speech.
Tension and fear gripped the neighbourhood as the police picketed all exit and entry points to Lines Area. DIG Operations, Mushtaq Shah, told Dawn that a police mobile van was set on fire and man sustained a bullet wound in the violence.
