LARKANA: An inquiry commission headed by a Sindh High Court judge should be constituted to investigate the March 15 attacks on a Hindu temple and a dharamshala in Larkana during which deities were also damaged.

This was demanded by representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Forum for Secular Pakistan (FSP) and Women Action Forum (WAF) at a press conference held on Sunday in the Abdul Latif Nizamani Labour Hall.

Prof Dr Haroon Ahmed termed the unfortunate incident a ‘conspiracy’ which, he warned, could lead to a civil war. He appreciated the role of certain ulema in defusing communal tension after the attack and urged people to stand up against those religious leaders who were misusing religion for attaining their hidden agenda.

He observed that the element of tolerance in followers of different religions and sects was systematically being destroyed to shatter harmony among them.

Amar Sindhu and Irfana Mallah called for setting up a commission to be tasked with investigating various aspects of the incident and looking into the circumstances that led to the attack on Hindus’ religious places.

Ms Sindhu was of the view that the ugly incident questioned the local administration’s efficiency. She said the attack seemed to be a well-thought-out conspiracy to divide society on religious grounds. The anti-social elements behind the incident must be tried in anti-terrorism court, she added.

Advocate Qazi Jawed told journalists that the arson attack on the dharamshala refreshed the memories of 1937 attack on Masjid Manzilgah in Sukkur. He recalled that the motive behind the mosque attack was to pave the way for bringing down the Pir Illahi Bakhsh government in Sindh. He urged people to ensure their input in the investigation into the Larkana incident.

The representatives of the three civil society organisations also held a meeting with the ulema of various schools of thought at the shrine of Qaim Shah Bukhari and thanked them for their constructive role in preventing a flare-up amid communal tension in Larkana. Maulana Manzoor Ali and Hafiz Roshan Inquilabi told the visitors from Karachi and Hyderabad “we are not extremists but the person who desecrated pages of the Holy Quran must be dealt with in accordance with law”.

They said the entire community should not be punished for an offence committed by an individual.