SADIQABAD, Dec 19: Unidentified miscreants set fire to seven shrines near Sanjarpur, about 25kms off here, late on Monday night.

Police arrested a non-Muslim, suspecting him to be among those who torched the shrines namely Darbar Pir Musa Nawab, Darbar Pir Suba-i-Sadiq, Darbar Pir Manik Shah, Darbar Hazrat Umar Sultan, Darbar Bibi Pak, Darbar Khwaja Shams and Darbar Pir Khuda Bukhsh.

Several copies of the Holy Quran were desecrated in the incident, apparently aimed at fanning religious disharmony in the area.

Thousands of metres of embroidered cloth cover, in-

valuable wooden grills and numerous precious articles were reduced to ashes. Walls and ceilings of the shrines were badly burnt.

The incident caused hundreds of citizens out of their houses to assemble near the desecrated shrines.

On getting information, Rahim Yar Khan DPO Sultan Ahmed Gujjar, ASP Sadiqabad Tariq Razaq Dhareja, SHO Kot Sabz Ghulam Dastagir Langah, SHO Sadar Ayyaz Leghari and SHO Ahmedpur Lamma Ch Arshad Cheema, PPPP leader Sardar Rais Mehboob Ahmed Khan, Rais Zafar Illahi, Tehsil Nazim Taloot Bajwa and Naib Nazim M Akmal Warind reached the site.

When Rais Muneer Ahmed Khan, MNA, was informed of the incident on phone, he immediately reached Lahore to apprise the Punjab chief minister of the incident.

The MNA called upon the government to deploy police guards around the holy shrines.