Police shut down a party at a Lahore water park on Saturday, May 6, allegedly after a cleric threatened a station house officer (SHO) of 'consequences'.
The cleric, in a phone call, identified himself as the president of the Sunni Tehreek's Lahore division Mujahid Abdul Rasool Khan, was heard telling the area SHO to, "shut the party down, as you will be the one facing the consequences for it."
"You're the one who's going to lose his job over this," the cleric threatened.
"This is Pakistan, not India, that the DC can allow a party like this to go ahead [...] You shut that party down and tell me once it's done," he said.
Police subsequently intervened and stopped the party at midnight. Attendees were asked to leave immediately.
Over 3,000 guests were at the event organised by Mango Entertainment, which took the necessary approvals for the event from the district commissioner.
Comments (73) Closed
What kind of party was that?
A country with no source of entertainment
Either DCO should not have accord approval of party if it was against the law. Once it has been allowed, then, there should not be any forced stopping.
The call shud've been recorded and used for legal action to discourage such behaviour in future.
This is disruption of the public freedom and interference in the normal lives of people by abject use of terror mongery.
Wrong way to stop a wrong event
Thoes who think they are above law do arrange these types of parties. In midnight Cleric is right If it's happening in open air
@SARA what's wrong in the event.. pls explain...
Liberty has been hijacked by the mullah brigade long ago!
What was this party about? Police should take such actions itself rather than waiting for people to take law in their hands.
@SARA that's true but would anybody listen if he requested to stop the party.
Apparently, this guy didn't get free passes for the show as demanded !!!
@Tariq, Lahore there is a difference between Liberty and immorality
@SARA . Why it as a wrong event?Is it not wrong to disturb peace at 4 or 5am? The SHO should have stood his ground as the organisers had permission to hold the event.
Parallel Forces and common citizen is insecure between them !!
@Ashton Pray 5 times a day.
this cleric should be arrested, what right does he have to interfere with someone else's activities? The police involved should be disciplined.
Their use of loudspeakers should also be shut as these violate privacy...
@RK don't you know?
@Immo that's the point.
The police guy faced any action on shutting down the party when DCO allowed it in the first place?
SHO should have arrested the person threatening Police
It was a rave party and pretty badly organised
@Ashton - Never heard of the Internet??
It can be seen that those not invited to the party are supporting the Cleric infringing on the freedom of private individuals to live the life they want as long as they are not disturbing the public order. Too many frustrated individuals starved of entertainment venting gas from all their orifices here.
Over 3000 people partying at midnight? Just imagine the noise,traffic,and disturbance throughout the neighboring areas.Who gave permission for this kind of party to go on that late? They don't allow even the marriage functions that late. Don't blame the cleric in this instance,he was absolutely right to do what he did.Police should have stopped this nonsense right after the evening hours.
@Immo What kind of immorality was going on? Were there any infractions or violations of the law?Did the police make arrests? If not, then on what possible grounds did the police interfere? To me it's a plain & simple case of a zealot cleric trying to impose his orthodoxy & parochial morality on others who want nothing to do with it. If you ask me the only person who should have been shut up the night in question should have been the cleric threatening consequences to the police.
The cleric has no right to threat dire consequence.There is law of land and he should adhere and its stat's responsibility to deal with iron hands with such people who are taking law in their hands.
The cleric should be prosecuted for threatening peace. Why SHO did not arrest the Cleric. Taking no action with embolden religious extremists to intimidate people.
@Arshad Well said mate, that is usually the case.
@Akram Yes he needs to be disciplined.
@khalid ahmed Good comment.
Entertainment is fine, but there should be limit to any party religious or non religious. They should have an alloted time and space for these kind of events, religious, cultural etc. that do not disturb other people's sleep. Limited use of loudspeeker should apply to all. Bullying of anykind religious or liberal is not acceptable.
Is the cleric in jail now?
Was it because of legal reason or moral reason ...if there were no illegal activities going on, on what ground it was shut down ...wonder why police officer was intimidated. Folks..whatever reason there may be but one thing for sure..there is a fine line between Friday afternoon and Saturday night.
Media and some so called liberals want spoil Pakistan
@khalid ahmed There are so many religious activities which are organised in late night with blocking roads and high volume loud speaker which are tearing ear drum. The SHO of that area even cannot dare to say a word to them instead of stopping that activity
Parties like this are against our faith and must be banned. Why was the permit issued in the first place? The cleric is right, this is not India (or Dubai)
@SARA This world is like a bazaar, you may go through it but you buy only that which you require, you are not compelled or supposed to buy everything.
By the way a mosque is in the village, the village is not in the mosque, this is what our faith advocates..!
Based on my experiences some SHOs also think they are above law and have very threatening attitude. I don't have a good image of my police.
That's the reality of Pakistan.
Best of luck to people wanting some fun and entertainment over the weekend......
Need to have more information before commenting ?? Was this a loud and a late night party that would disturb the people living in the vicinity ?? Was it a song and dance party with alcoholic drinks that would offend the local population ??? I assume these concerns were taken into consideration before the party organizers were given the permission to proceed. So why did the police officer buckle down and closed the party ??? How come the cleric bully and scare him into submission ??? He must have a valid point or else ?? I am glad no conflict took place and the police was used to shut this party down and not a direct use of force by the religious party ...... Please give full information in such articles so we are not left guessing !!!!
Just as Iranian youngsters have to depend upon secretive, underground party culture...perhaps Pakistani youngsters would also be forced to do it. Lahore was not like this...art, dance, culture(even Western) was never looked down upon...it was embraced.
This is called as 'terrorism'.
If you dont like you must not attend. but the party must go on.
@SARA How do you know that the event was wrong?
@SARA, You want Pakistan a closed society? Not going to happen.
@Tariq, Lahore. so true
Very disappointing,this will embolden these extremists more.Next time they wil threaten to disrupt wedding parties or music shows.Our own Frankensteins haunt us.Welcome Talibanisatino.
So tomorrow I call as some mulla and ask an SHO to close the picture house or face the consequences and SHO will oblige? What kind of policing is this? Under what rule did SHO take that action? Should not the SHO be receiving a show cause notice on his action? Mr. IG Punjab, should not this matter be looked at? Someone having a program with due permissions and police who are suppose to protect them just makes them stop?
@Ashton My god, where do you live!! In this day and age almost all the big cities have satellite dishes and cable channels and unlimited entertainment. Even Afghanistan has entertainment industry.
@Akram same right, as people disturbing his sleep. May be he has some one ill in his family. If it is noisy outdoor party going late at night then need to be stopped.
This mullah should be tried and sentenced as a extremist. His action was no less than a terror threat, and obviously he had the means to follow up on his threat and make good, otherwise the police would not have taken him seriously. The sho, regardless of the threat should be suspended at least for acting beyond his jurisdiction and infringing upon the peoples right to freedom.
that is a shame - the called must be identified and must be punished to threaten
Naya Pakistan!!
@SARA ,how you know it was wrong event?
This was a good move. We should not allow the purity and sacredness of our religion to be affected by western and Indian decadent practices such as 'parties'.
Who gave cleric the right to shut it down, why did local administration took his dictation. If there were any violation they should have acted upon themselves. Cleric has the right to complain for future action and rally local support but not nuisance.
@Mansoor Then all problems will be solved. Just like pakistans
@SARA , you weren't even there, how do you know it was a wrong event? Stop with the judgement without knowledge.
@Mansoor
Why? Has it ever done you people any good that you should prescribe it so freely to others?
@RK These parties are basically organized to promote western culture and create the concept of that worldly heaven. People here are high on drugs commonly used as hash, alchohol etc and the introduction of party pills known as ecstacy whose name is self explanatory. Actually it makes you feel happy and gives you the stamina to dance all night long. The aftermath of this so called ECSTACY usually turns into some kind of depressions. Such are these parties where people are dancing like animals.
Sanity ! Where have thou vanished ?
SHO was right to shut down the party. This is Pakistan not the West where men and women can mingle,dance and drink openly in public. Organizers should apologise and promise never to repeat this again.
Half a news ... does not show the details of party ... for readers to judge its (In)sensitivity or(In) appropriateness ...
Pakistan Enjoy !!
@SARA well said.
Wrong is wrong and it must be said as wrong even if we do that for any purpose.
Some clerics can be seen having great confusion regarding differences between religion and law and order. Give them some law books.
Everybody knows what happens to such midnight parties. If it is a wedding, it ends much earlier as per timings of the Government of Punjab. But mostly, such parties are an open license to alcohol, narcotics and the drugs like the "Ecstacy". The DCO must never allow such parties.
Very constructive discussion.
I am not in favor of excessive waste of time and resources events like this but I will not become a vigilante law enforcement person like the cleric. The law enforcement should only act in case of break of established laws.
@SARA so do religious extremists who take law into their own hands with mob rule mentalty