LAHORE, Aug 1: Expressing concern and anguish over the theft of the slippers attributed to Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Auqaf Minister Dr Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Qadri on Thursday slammed the Badshahi Masjid administration for its negligence.

“This is the worst incident in our history,” the minister said during a visit to the mosque on Thursday.

According to the mosque administration, unidentified people made away with one of the three pairs of slippers attributed to the Holy Prophet after cutting the glass case in which it was kept at around 9:30pm on Wednesday. The glass has been replaced since.

The minister said the government was focusing on tracking down the culprits to recover the relic. Preventing the reoccurrence of such incidents, he said, was the next priority.

District Nazim Amer Mahmood and senior Auqaf Department and police officials have visited the mosque and patrolling has been intensified in the vicinity of the mosque.

A meeting of the peace committee, comprising religious scholars, held a marathon meeting on the mosque premises. The participants regretted the incident. — APP