LAHORE: Civil society activists held a candlelit vigil to pay homage to Qawwal Amjad Sabri on Thursday while urging the government to expedite implementation on the National Action Plan.

Gathered under the banner of Rawadari Tehreek outside the Lahore Press Club, the activists had held banners and placards bearing inscriptions against the cowardly act of assassinating Amjad Sabri.

They also raised slogans condemning terrorist organisations for targeting people like Amjad Sabri who had been promoting peace and tolerance in society.

Tehreek chairman Samson Salamat stressed that various sections of society must get together and raise voice against the attackers. He demanded that the attackers must be arrested and given an exemplary punishment.

“The anti-state elements are out to ruin the peace of Karachi. Kidnapping of a son of the chief justice of Sindh High Court and the murder of Amjad Sabri are aimed at creating a sense of insecurity among Karachites in particular and residents of other cities in general,” he said while regretting the government’s failure to eliminate terrorists and their facilitators.

Sabra Asmat, the provincial chief of Tehreek, said the government must launch an operation against the group of banned outfit which had accepted responsibility of murdering Amjad Sabri for following in the footsteps of Sufis who spread Islam in the subcontinent.

Some participants also raised slogans against the PTI chairman for what they called donating a huge sum of money to a seminary in KP, known for its links with banned outfits.

NCJP: A rights organisation of Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) has commended Amjad Sabri’s efforts of promoting peace through his music and qawwali.

“The extraordinary contribution of Amjad Sabri towards the art of Qawwali and Sufism made him a national treasure,” said Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, NCJP Chairperson Bishop Joseph Arshad and Executive Director Cecil Shane Chaudhry in a joint statement on Thursday.

Expressing their profound grief, they said no artist could fill the vacuum created by Amjad Sabri. “We need to stand united against the forces that are out to harm us as a nation,” they said while appreciating how music can transcend all boundaries in creating peace in society.

They pleaded to the government to take concrete steps in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2016