KARACHI, April 14: Two men were injured and a public bus and truck were set ablaze as violence broke out in Shah Faisal Colony. The trigger was an old dispute over a mosque in the area between the Sunni Tehreek, and madressahs Jamia Farooqia and Jamia Binoria.

According to SSP Fayyaz Qureshi, acting TPO Shah Faisal Town, the control of the Mohammadi mosque near Reta plot in Shah Faisal Colony had been a source of dispute between the Deoband and Barelvi sects for the last four years.

As a result, the mosque had been locked up for most of the period. On Friday, the TPO stated that Dawaat-i-Islami activists, accompanied by members of the Sunni Tehreek, broke open the lock which sparked clashes between them and clerics from the Jamia Farooqia.

Maulana Wali Khan of the Jamia Farooqia, however, denied that the madressah or anyone connected with it had anything to do with the dispute. “The mosque used to be under the control of the madressah, but it shifted to the Jamia Binoria in New Town, which acts as its trustee,” he said. He said that Jamia Farooqia was no longer a party to the dispute.

The situation in Shah Faisal Colony deteriorated after the incident ignited in the afternoon, as firing was reported in different parts of the colony.

Qureshi, however, denied that anybody was injured in the violence. He further said that “only a few rear seats of the bus were set on fire, and the passengers were able to put it out themselves”.

The TPO also said that no other incident of mob violence occurred in the area, and that the report about the bakery was false.

“Initially, people did come on the streets, but the dispute has been resolved,” Qureshi told Dawn. He said the mosque had been locked up, and the disputing parties had dispersed.

Qari Iqbal, spokesman for the Jamia Binoria, giving his version said: “Armed activists of the Sunni Tehreek broke the lock and occupied the mosque after Friday prayers.” Later, he said, they opened fire when Binoria personnel also arrived on the scene.

Iqbal said the mosque was disputed property, and the matter was in the court. “It was sealed two years ago by then TPO, Asif Ejaz, and we agreed to do this despite being in control, as we did not want to break the law,” Iqbal continued.

He said the mosque was being run under the Anjuman-i-Ishaatul Quran Trust of the Jamia and they had legal documents to support their right of ownership.

He said while their people were on the scene, they had refrained from any violent activity, and that none of their men were injured. However, Iqbal stated that some of the law enforcement personnel were hurt in the firing, a claim flatly denied by Qureshi.

Over the course of the dispute, mobs continued to move around in parts of the colony. A truck laden with wheat was later set ablaze by miscreants in another part of the colony near the Drigh Road station, and all shops and streets were deserted.

The matter was finally brought to a close when the Sunni Tehreek and Dawaat-i-Islami activists agreed to vacate the mosque late at night. No FIR has so far been registered, and the incident is likely to be taken up in court by Jamia Binoria.

— Syed Shoaib Hasan