ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of Jamia Hafsa students on Saturday staged sit-ins at two places following a clash with police after the latter demolished an under-construction structure on Friday night at the old site of the seminary adjacent to Lal Masjid.

Till filing of this report at about 10pm, the students were present inside Lal Masjid and the road adjacent to Jamia Hafsa at G-7.

A policeman identified as constable Waqas was injured when some of the students pelted the police with stones.

A police officer told Dawn that Special Branch had informed the officers concerned about the ongoing construction work at a greenbelt adjacent to Lal Masjid and presence of construction material there.

Constable injured after protesters pelt police with stones following demolition of structure adjacent to Lal Masjid

The site was covered with tin sheets to hide the ongoing construction work, he added.

In response, officials from the capital police, administration and the CDA raided the site and demolished the structure, he said, adding the police also seized the construction material and removed them from the site.

Shortly afterwards, Umme Hasaan, wife of Maulana Abdul Aziz, along with 250 to 300 students reached Lal Masjid and staged a sit-in, the officer said.

The sit-in led to a standoff between the students and the police. The students chanted slogans against the police and pelted the personnel with stones.

As a result, the constable sustained an injury to his head, he added.

In the afternoon, Maulana Aziz also reached Lal Masjid and joined the sit-in in front of the mosque.

A mufti came out from the mosque and told the police and the administration officials that he would take the cleric and the students inside if the police force was moved to one side, said the officer.

The request was accepted by a magistrate.

Later, Maulana Aziz came out from the mosque and asked the students to cover the construction site with tents and went back inside the mosque.

Till filing of this report, the students were present at the entrance to the mosque near the weekly bazaar. Some students were also staging a sit-in at a street near Jamia Hafsa in G-7.

Police, including Anti-Riot Unit, were deployed around Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa to maintain peace, the officer added.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2023