MULTAN, Aug 13: A mosque having six shops and three houses has become a bone of contention between the two groups of ulema in Gulshan Colony. Both groups — Bazm-i-Islaah, Muhallah Darkhana Wala, and Anjuman Jamia Masjid, Jalal Baqri — claim that they have the legal right to take control of Jamia Masjid, Jalal Baqri, situated on Sarwar Road in the limits of union council No 39.

The situation turned volatile when Sher Shah Town Nazim Syed Abbas Akbar handed over the control of the mosque to Maulana Syed Muhammad Asif Bokhari through a notification on Aug 8.

Prayer leader Hafiz Muhammad Imran, caretaker Prof Malik Bashir Ahmed and residents protested against the decision and demanded that the control of mosque should be returned to the Bazm.

Residents of Gulshan Colony and its adjoining areas submitted an application to the town nazim that a case against renter Saeed Khan, who has been occupying two shops for four years, had been pending in a local court for the past two years. While Talib Hussain had also not been paying rent for two shops he had occupied since long.

They said they had also requested Mufti Abdul Qavi, caretaker of Madressah Darul Aloom Ubaidia, to take control of the disputed mosque and nominate a prayer leader, but he paid no heed.

The Asif Bokhari group, they alleged, had forcibly taken the possession of mosque because of their ‘evil designs’ to grab the property of mosque, including shops and houses.

On Aug 9, Town Police Officer (TPO) Hassan Raza Khan had given the control of mosque to Mufti Abdul Qavi, directing both groups to settle the dispute within three days or he would seal the mosque.

Both groups also agreed that Maulana Abdul Rehman Jami would lead the prayers and Hafiz Zulfiqar would recite `Azan’ during the period.

However, Maulana Bokhari succeeded in obtaining a stay order from a local court on the basis of which Maulana Jami was not allowed to lead the Friday prayers.

Maulana Bokhari, after leading the Friday prayers, told the people that the town nazim had asked him to take charge of the mosque so that the shops and houses could be got vacated.

He said that TPO Hassan Raza was threatening him to send behind bars if he failed to resolve the matter. Despite court orders, he said, Chehliyak DSP Karamatullah Malik was piling pressure on him to allow the man of Mufti Abdul Qavi to lead the prayers.

He alleged that the police had sent its own prayer leader to lead the Maghrib prayers in sheer violation of the court orders.

Qari Muhammad Imran, who has been leading the prayers for the last 10 years, told Dawn that it was a funeral place-cum-mosque and people from all sects perform the funeral rites here.

He said the mosque had been under the control of Bazm-i-Islaah since 1966. He alleged that Mufti Abdul Qavi cheated and helped the other group to get the stay order.

Mufti Abdul Qavi said he intervened in the matter only to avoid sealing of the mosque.

Denying charges leveled against him, DSP Kramatullah Malik said he had nothing to do with the matter.

TPO Hassan Raza said the court had issued the stay order and it was the responsibility of the police to maintain law and order.