KARACHI, June 15: A cleric who alleged “a deep-rooted conspiracy” behind the Nishtar Park blast was unable to substantiate his allegation during a day-long cross-examination.

Questioned by Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan, Sunni Movement counsel Javed Chhatari and the inquiry tribunal itself, Maulana Asghar Dars said he did not visit the park on April 11 but was told by one Qari Abdul Rehman that “something” went up from the stage and exploded in the air. He replied in the negative when asked whether he could produce or give the address of Qari Rehman so that he too could be called to testify. About Mufti Munibur Rehman’s visit to Islamabad on April 11, he said this information was based on a newspaper report.

The Maulana denied he had any political affiliation but said he had been contesting local and provincial elections as an independent with the support of the Pakistan People’s Party. In 2002, he and his brother, Maulana Akbar Dars, were put up for provincial and national assembly seats by Tehrik-i-Insaf.

“I do not know”, he said when asked whether the Tehrik was a political party? About a man joining the main procession, led by Maulana Shah Turabul Haq Qadri, at Boulton Market with a 10-kilogram explosive device, he said the statement was made by the capital city police officer and reported by media.

The witness expressed his ignorance when told that Mirza Ashraf Beg administered the Eidgah and the adjoining graveyard as a trustee on behalf of the Auqaf Department and that any permission for burial of the three Sunni Tehrik leaders there should have been obtained from the trustee or the department. He agreed that Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah was buried at the Eidgah graveyard but with the permission of his father, who laid the foundation-stone of Eidgah. The Auqaf Department, he said, took over Eidgah in 1963.

Asked whether he had any permit for taking out a rally on Eid-i-Miladdun Nabi from Mereweather Tower, he said the permit was issued in the name of Anjuman Musalmanan-i-Punjab. He did not agree to a suggestion that his statement against the provincial home minister were prompted by his (the minister’s) exhortation that he should either take out his rally early or adopt an alternative route so that it steered clear of the main procession.

He did not agree to a suggestion that his rivalry against the organizers of the main procession turned into hostility after 1971 when Maulana Shafi Okarvi attracted a much larger number of participants to the main procession taken out from Memon Masjid. He said he believed in quality and not quantity.

The maulana said he was not aware of Chhipa Ambulances’ decision to expand its operations and fleet but insisted that the fact that a much larger number of ambulances accompanied the main procession indicated that somebody had an inkling of the impending explosion. He said he volunteered to testify before the tribunal in response to a call made by it and raised certain questions for its consideration.

AAG Sarwar Khan questioned him about the funding of his organization, Anjuman-i-Raza-i-Ghausia and later produced copies of its constitution and aims and objectives. Shah Sirajul Haq Qadri, son of Shah Turabul Haq, will record his evidence on Friday.