SHIKARPUR: “We feel insecure and want severe and concrete action against militants, their handlers and planners,” said Mehboob Hussain Shah aka Babu Shah, who lost his 20 relatives in the Friday bomb attack on Markazi Imambargah Maula Ali in Shikarpur while speaking to Dawn at the blast site on Saturday.

“Despite in shock, we have not lost patience,” added the caretaker of the Imambargah whose floor was still strewn with human remains as the law enforcement agencies sealed the roads leading to the Imambargah situated just opposite a 250-year-old Imambargah deep inside the Lakhi Dar area.

There were some motorcycles, apparently belonging to the victims, parked near the debris of the Imambargah, which was built about one and a half years ago.

“The blast has also caused damage to the centuries-old Imambargah,” said Babu Shah, the caretaker.

“It’s not just a tragedy but an irreparable loss caused to us, as our near and dear ones embraced martyrdom in the blast,” he said with tears in his eyes.

He complained of lack of security during the Friday prayers and said there were criminal elements who could have facilitated the act in Shikarpur district which has been targeted repeatedly in recent years.

Meanwhile, heavy contingents of Rangers and police were deployed during the funeral prayers at Clock Tower.

Amid a charged atmosphere, many people offered Nauhakhwani and demanded that the government unmask the hand behind the incident, arrest the killers and ensure proper security at Imambargahs when SSP Saqib Memon tried to address the crowd.

The mourners, who had arrived here from different parts of Sindh, marched towards the Imambargah after the funeral, which was attended among others by adviser to the prime minister Imtiaz Shaikh and leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Shaharyar Mahar.

A heavy police contingent was deployed on the roads leading to the Imambargah. Meanwhile, Imtiaz Shaikh and Shaharyar Mahar addressing a press conference severely criticised the Sindh government for its failure to contain such incidents. They demanded that the Sindh government step down as no such incident could have taken place without local support.

Mohammed Pariyal Marri, a social activist, said there were ‘hideouts’ of criminals in remote areas of the district. He said it was high time that the government took seriously the mushroom growth of madressahs at all entry and exit points of the city.

Shikarpur city, which was famous for its wooden work and achar and birthplace of renowned Sindhi poet Shaikh Ayaz, was witnessing the incidents of terrorism, deplored Mr Marri. He said criminals were getting what he called ‘full board and lodging’ here and traced the arms routes to Balochistan. It was the fourth incident of terrorism after the Hajjan Shah Mariwaro and attack on Dr Ibrahim Jatoi, he said, asking why this centrally located city had been repeatedly targeted by terrorists.

Mumtaz Mangi, a political activist and writer, said he had never witnessed such a brutal incident in his life. He said civil society did not have the power and resources to tackle terrorism. The will of the state was seriously required to counter extremism, he said, while asking leftist and nationalists groups to join hands to counter the wave of terrorism.

Rahim Bakhsh Jafferi, another social worker, urged all stakeholders to organise themselves and join hands in the fight against extremism.

He said the ‘alienated youth’ amid tribal clashes were easy prey for terrorists and militants. He did not rule out the possibility of facilitators’ presence in the district. Without education, he said, only fanatics would be produced who would attack oil tankers in Shikarpur and target the Hajjan Shah Ji Marri shrine.

They called for extensive search and cleansing the area from terrorists.

Mr Mahar said for the past six months they had been raising the issue of peace in the assembly but the government had not paid heed to it.

Ameen Mashadi, a leader of the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, said the attack was not related to so-called sectarianism. He termed the attack on the Imambargah an international conspiracy where youths were hired and trained to carry out such attacks.

He also called for implementation of the 21st constitutional amendment and demanded action against militants.

Published in Dawn February 1st, 2015

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