HYDERABAD: A rally was taken out here on Friday to condemn religious extremism and the recent incidents in Daharki and Mirpur Mathelo towns of Ghotki district where a Hindu youth was shot dead and his companion wounded by unknown armed men during widespread protests over alleged sacrilege of the Holy Quran.

The rally was organised by the Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz (JSM-R).

Speaking to the participants outside the local press club, where a demonstration was held towards the end of the rally, JSM-R chairman Riaz Chandio strongly condemn terrorism in the name of religion. Referring to such incidents intermittently occurring in the province over the past few years, he said they were undermining Sindh’s philosophy of peace and harmony.

He observed that despite legislation to check extremism and terrorism and the measures taken in this regard “factories of seminaries are flourishing” in Sindh.

Mr Chandio claimed that banned religious outfits were spreading terrorism and targeting non-Muslim Sindhis, and noted that neither targeted killings had come to an end nor terrorism could be eliminated so far despite the ongoing operation launched in 2013.

Incidents of kidnapping for ransom and other motives were also continuing, he added.

The JSM-R chief demanded a judicial inquiry into the alleged sacrilege incident that took place in Daharki and provoked religious feelings leading to closure of the entire district for two days.

The findings of the commission should be made public, he said. Mr Chandio also called for the quashing of the FIR registered against the suspect, Amar Lal, arguing that the allegation was nothing but part of a conspiracy to foment communal riots in the province.

He alleged that the Ghotki police and the attackers who targeted the two Hindu friends in Mirpur Mathelo were directly involved in the act of terrorism. A judicial inquiry into the attack must also be held and those found responsible be punished, he said.

Mr Chandio urged the authorities concerned to close the seminaries which were spreading hatred and extremism and take action against their managers.

SNT plans rally

Sindh National Tehreek (SNT) chairman Ashraf Noonari on Friday announced that his party would organise a ‘Tahaffuz-i-Sindh rally’ on Aug 28 in Hyderabad against extremism, settling of outsiders in the province and menace of corruption.

Speaking at a press conference in the local press club, he said that Rangers should be given powers to extend their operation across Sindh.

Mr Noonari also called for a ban on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the wake of the (alleged) confessional statement of its mayoral candidate, Wasim Akhtar, accepting responsibility of the May 12, 2007 mayhem.

Regarding corruption, he claimed that billions of rupees had been misappropriated during the PPP government.

“The Sindh chief minister has been replaced in order to remove the stigma of bad governance from the PPP,” he claimed, adding that Syed Qaim Ali Shah was replaced [with Murad Ali Shah] only to fail the Karachi operation.

The SNT chief observed that once again conspiracies were afoot to create a law and order situation in Sindh.

He said that the new chief minister would be more loyal to [PPP supremo] Asif Ali Zardari than his predecessor.

Mr Noonari was of the view that the federal interior minister’s lack of interest on the issue of Rangers’ powers encouraged the PPP, PML-N and MQM to forge an alliance against the establishment and law-enforcement agencies.

He also demanded closure of unregistered seminaries involved in extremism.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016