HYDERABAD: The Sindh High Court has removed the district and sessions judge of Tando Mohammad Khan for verbally disallowing ‘azan’ for Fajr prayers on loudspeaker in Bakhshu Khan Burdi village. According to a notification dated Nov 26, the District and Sessions Judge Munir Bakhsh Bhutto has been asked to report to the SHC. The SHO of the City police station and assistant mukhtiarkar have also been issued show-cause notice for executing the order of the judge.

The high court had taken notice of the order the judge had verbally issued two days back disallowing ‘azan’ of Fajr prayers on loudspeaker in the village.

Tando Mohammad Khan Deputy Commissioner Yasir Bhatti issued show-cause notice to assistant mukhtiarkar Qazi Tauqeer and asked him to report to the revenue department. SSP Tando Mohammad Khan Abid Baloch also issued show-cause notices to the SHO City, Faheem Raza Arain.

The SHO and assistant mukhtiarkar in compliance of the verbal orders, had asked the prayer leader of the village mosque to stop using loudspeaker for azan of Fajr, and warned that he would be arrested in case of defiance. The prayer leader had recorded the conversation in his mobile phone which went viral in the social media and eventually led to action by the SHC.

Religious parties had held their emergency meetings under the chairmanship of Pir Mansoor Jan Sarhandi to discuss the issue. The meeting had urged the high court to immediately remove the sessions judge and assistant mukhtiarkar, as well as the SHO.

The meeting had also decided to take out a protest rally over the issue from Station Road on Sunday (November 28).

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2021