ISLAMABAD: Several religious groups began the construction of a mosque on Murree Road on Friday, which was demolished by the capital administration earlier this week for allegedly violating the federal capital’s building bylaws.

They gathered at the site of Madni Mosque to offer Friday prayers and stage a protest against the capital administration and police for bulldozing the mosque.

The administration and police demolished the mosque overnight and planted trees and grass at the site. The religious groups claimed that the mosque had existed before the partition of the subcontinent, at a time when Islamabad was not yet on the map.

As the protest and Friday prayer had been announced earlier, capital police and administration officials were deployed at the site to maintain law and order. A large crowd gathered and began collecting the debris.

At one stage, the situation became tense when the gathering and the police came face to face.

A brief physical confrontation broke out, but a senior police officer intervened and diffused the situation after negotiations. As a result, the police contingent deployed there moved away from the site.

The protesters used the collected bricks to make a symbolic structure of the mosque.

Following the demolition, at least five complaints have so far been lodged at the Secretariat police station, seeking registration of a case against the interior minister, chairman CDA, deputy commissioner Islamabad, inspector general of police Islamabad and other officials of the capital administration under sections 295, 297 and 298.

The police have received the complaints but have not issued any receipts so far.

There were no official words from the CDA or ministry of interior over the development.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2025