DADU: Jamaat Ahle Sunnat leader and Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman on Tuesday said that the Sindh government had failed to ensure security of shrines and safety of citizens visiting them. Therefore, he said, the job should be given to the Rangers.

Speaking to the media after attending the ‘Tahaffuz-i-Maza­raat-i-Aulia’ conference at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Mufti Muneeb claimed the Islamic State militant group (IS), in collaboration with India, was carrying out attacks in different parts of Pakistan.

He said IS fighters from Iraq, Syria and other Middle East states were moving into Afghanistan and were posing a serious threat to Pakistan.

He said India was encouraging and supporting IS militants, which had resulted in an increase in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

He said acts of terrorism against Pakistan were planned in Afghanistan. Terrorist outfits were based in that country and were operating their networks in Pakistan, he added.

“The government of Pakistan should take immediate steps to check this nexus,” he said, adding that the state would have to root out the entire network of terrorists from the country.

He said that devotees and other people had the right to visit shrines and take part in rites and rituals. Such acts of terrorism could not deter them from doing so, he added.

In reply to a question, Mufti Muneeb said that the Sindh government had failed to provide security to shrines of great saints and their followers. As such, he said, the entire network of security for shrines across the province should be handed over to the Rangers.

“Rangers are capable of protecting shrines, holy men and devotees,” he said.

Earlier, Mufti Muneeb along with a large number of ulema visited the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine and attended the Tahaffuz-i-Mazaraat-i-Aulia conference to discuss the Feb 16 suicide blast at the shrine that had left more than 80 people dead and scores of others wounded.

The conference also discussed ways and means to protect shrines in Sindh.

Those who attended the conference included Mufti Mohammad Jan Naeemi, Pir Mian Abdul Kha­liq Bharchundi, Shah Mohammad Awais Noorani Siddiqi, Mufti Mohammad Ibrahim Qadri, Pir Mian Abdul Baqi, Mufti Abdul Rahim Sikandari, Maulana Rehan Amjadi, Pir Ghulam Shah Jilani, Maulana Mushtaq Naqshbandi, Mufti Sharif Sarki, Allama Shafiq Qadri, Mufti Noorani Sikandari, Mufti Abdul Alim Hazarvi and Mufti Badaruddin Surhio.

The resolutions passed at the conference said that providing security to shrines and their visitors was the prime responsibility of the government.

The participants said that it was the right of every citizen to visit shrines at his will. It noted that terrorist attacks on shrines had sown fear among devotees and other stakeholders, and urged the government to take appropriate measures for the protection of shrines, devotees and other visitors.

The conference also called for ensuring availability of all essential facilities, including safe drinking water, at all shrines in Sindh.

It demanded arrest of all those involved in the suicide blast at the Qalandar shrine without any further delay.

Officials suspended

Jamshoro SSP Tanvir Alam Odho on Tuesday placed Sehwan SHO Rasool Bakhsh Panhwar and ASI Abdul Nabi Shahani (the official in-charge of security at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine) under suspension over their failure to discharge their duties efficiently.

The officials would face an inquiry into their alleged failure to check entry of the suicide bomber into the shrine.

Speaking to local reporters, the SSP said that more than 100 policemen had now been deployed at and around the shrine in a beefed-up security effort.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017