PESHAWAR, July 23: The members of Hamza Baba Adabi Jirga (HAJ) have condemned militants’ bid to attack the shrine of literary figure and Sufi saint Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari at Landi Kotal on Thursday night.

In an emergency meeting chaired by Murad Shinwari, senior Pashto poet and son of Hamza Baba on Saturday, the HAJ appealed to the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take notice of the incident and beef up security around the shrine, according to a press release.

Attended by large number of local writers and poets the meeting called upon the political administration to take tight security measures so that the shrine of Hamza Baba could be protected. They also appealed to the Pashtuns across the globe to condemn the attacks on cultural monuments and holy places of Pashtun Sufi poets.

“Hamza Baba was not only my father but was also the spiritual father of all the Pashtuns as he rendered meritorious services for the cause of Pashto and Pashtuns through his lofty imagination and inspiring poetry. There was no illegal activity going on around the mausoleum as even women and literary functions were not allowed there due to worst law and order situation in the area. I call on the governor to ensure security of the shrine and also help us initiate literary programmes at the mausoleum,” stressed Murad Shinwari, president of the HAJ.

The literary organisation appealed to the civil society, Pashtun intellectuals and literary bodies to condemn the heinous attempt on Hamza Shinwari’s shrine.

Kalimullah Kalim Shinwari, HAJ general secretary, demanded that the governor should call a meeting of the organisation to prepare a plan for holding literary functions at the shrine.

The meeting also demanded that funds be allocated for repair and maintenance of the shrine and filling up various vacancies including librarian, watchman, electrician and water-bearer. —Bureau Report