ASWJ seeks ban on mourning processions

Condemning the killing of 11 on Ashura in Rawalpindi different religious groups on Friday staged peaceful protest demonstrations in the twin cities amid foolproof security arrangements made by the law enforcement agencies. The protest call was given by different religious organisations including Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) and Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), which was also supported by Wafaqul Madaris. The law enforcement agencies put the security on high alert in the twin cities to avert any untoward incident.
The capital city administration sealed the Red Zone and deployed heavy contingent of police and Rangers to maintain order and put the Army on standby. Cargo containers were placed around the Red Zone and strict checking was conducted by the police.
Religious groups in the Federal Capital staged a protest rally amid tight security, which was started from Lal Masjid after Friday prayer in which a large number of people from different walks of life participated. The protesters chanted slogans and urged the government to arrest the culprits involved in the incident forthwith. The protest rally was culminated at National Press Club and the participants dispersed peacefully.
Heavy contingents of Rangers and Army was deployed in various parts of Rawalpindi city in aid of the civil administration. Barbed wires, picket fences and the heavy metal containers almost always used in thwarting such rallies were in place at all roads leading to Rawalpindi.
Police sealed various main roads and streets leading towards Darul uloom Taleem ul Quran (DATQ) Raja Bazaar, Faizabad intersection and several other roads with barbwires, hand-push carts and containers. All link roads around Raja Bazaar and Fawara Chowk including Kohati Bazaar, Gawalmandi, Liaquat Road, College Road and Committee Chowk have been sealed with barriers.
All the business centers and shopping malls remained closed in garrison city. Traffic remained thin on the roads causing problems for the passengers.
Despite section 144 imposed by the government in wake of violent protest, but many protest demonstrations and rallies were carried out including Misrial Road by Pir Abdul Shakoor. A big rally taken out of Chamanzar reached site. Similarly, a rally was also appeared from Tench which culminated at Raja Bazaar.
Thousands of seminary students, Ulema, traders and people belonging to different walks of life offered "Namaz-e-Juma" at the site of damaged Darul Aloom Taleem-ul-Quran (DATQ), Raja Bazaar where clashes occurred, amid tight security. The Friday sermon was delivered by Maulana Ashraf Ali while the prayer was offered at 2:30pm.
This gathering was organised on the call of Wafiq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia to condemn Raja Bazaar killings by holding peaceful protests and rallies across the city. Jamiat Ahl-e-Sunnat Wahl Jammat (JASWJ) Head Allama Muhammad Ahmed Ludhyanvi, Naib Khateeb DATQ Mufti Aman Ullah Khan, Maulana Abdul Ghafar Tohidi, Qari Khalil Ahmed Sakhar, Allama Shakir Mehmood, former DG ISI Lieutenant General (retd) Hameed Gul, Abdullah Hameed Gul, MNA and Awami Muslim League (AML) President Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, traders' representatives Sharjeel Mir, Malik Shahid Ghafoor Paracha, PML-N former MNA Shakil Awan, Sardar Nasim Khan, Maqbool Ahmed Khan and Farooq Khattak were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the Friday sermon, Maulana Ashraf Ali said the Ulema and seminary students were peaceful before and even today despite a lot of damage caused by miscreants.
He said that the government should not take our silence as our weakness and asked the government to ban all mourning processions in the coming days. He said that the process of religious education would be continued in DATQ. He demanded of the government to bring all the culprits involved in burning of seminary and killing of innocent students to justice.
Earlier, ASWJ chief Ahmed Ludhianvi, while addressing the gathering, said that all the participants of the protest and gathering created no trouble and the Chief Minister, Law Minister and Federal Interior Minister should materialize their promises by putting a ban on mourning processions in the country.
He said the Ulema of all schools of thought expressed their solidarity with the administration of DATQ and condemned the incident. Those who torched the seminary were anti-state elements and should be brought to book, he said.
"We are exercising restraint, otherwise no market or shop could be safe if we give a green signal to our followers," he said. However, this country, markets and shops are ours and we did not want to create mess.
At the end, the protesters dispersed peacefully, but police fired tear gas shells against a group of seminary students who tried to proceed towards the burnt site of the seminary. Police averted another clash between two religious groups at Imambargah Shaheedan-e-Karbala when a rally of JASWJ turned violent after stones being pelted from inside the Imambargah.