If a 'third force' is involved in carrying out and inciting sectarian clashes in Pakistan as claimed by many, it should be exposed, Mufti Muneebur Rehman said on Sunday. Addressing a press conference in Karachi Mufti Muneebur Rehman criticised the media for quickly labelling the incident as a sectarian clash and said such a portrayal should be avoided or restricted.
The cleric said the Rawalpindi incident could have been avoided if those involved in Karachi's Boulton Market attack in 2009 were brought to justice.
Condemning the recent clash that killed nine people during Muharram 10th procession, Rehman said both Shias and Sunnis are claiming innocence, therefore a detailed inquiry is the need of the hour.
The violence was apparently ignited by the storming of a religious seminary in Raja Bazaar, Rawalpindi. Some unidentified people attacked the policemen deployed outside the seminary and snatched their weapons before resorting to firing.
The mob later set the seminary and nearby shops on fire. More than a hundred shops were gutted according to local traders, as firemen struggled to put out the blaze.