Judicial commission into Rawalpindi tragedy goes underway

Published November 18, 2013
A rescue services worker on the premises of a destroyed mosque following sectarian clashes in Rawalpindi. -AFP Photo
A rescue services worker on the premises of a destroyed mosque following sectarian clashes in Rawalpindi. -AFP Photo

ISLAMABAD: A judicial commission headed by Lahore High Court’s Justice Mamoon Rashid Shaikh has begun a probe into the Rawalpindi tragedy in which nine people were killed and 44 others were injured during 10th Muharram clashes.

The judicial commission is expected to take testimonies of the witnesses and will examine the CCTV footage.

Meanwhile, a separate three-member inquiry committee has been constituted by the Punjab government to investigate the incident.

Violence erupted in Rawalpindi after participants of an Ashura procession clashed with seminary students in Raja Bazaar area on Friday.

FIRs were registered in four police stations of Rawalpindi including Pir Wahai, City, Bani and Ganjmandi.

Cases have also been registered against people who damaged public and private property.

City grapples for normalcy

On Monday, Rawalpindi struggled to return to normalcy as an uneasy calm prevailed. Section 144 of the CrPC is still imposed, prohibiting the assembly of five or more people in any area of the city.

Meanwhile, troops are still present in the city and aerial surveillance of sensitive areas is also being carried out.

Public and private businesses were opened on Monday but educational institutions remained closed. Markets opened and people were seen buying commodities/

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi administration has instructed petrol pump owners not to sell petrol at higher rates.

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