I RECENTLY went to a mosque at G-6 Aabpara. There a person told the worshippers that Wapda had disconnected the electricity of the mosque because of non-payment of bills.

He also said that there were 800 mosques in Islamabad and only 87 of them were under the Auqaf Department which is responsible for paying utility bills.

However, the Auqaf Department is not fulfilling its obligation for the last so many months. The mosque in G-6 is now liable to pay about Rs700,000 in electricity bills.

Lal Masjid too comes under the Auqaf Department and has to pay Rs180,000 for electricity.

My suggestion is that either the Auqaf Department should relinquish the responsibility of these 87 mosques, or it should fulfil its responsibilities, including paying electricity bills.

Failure to act in this regard might give religious activists an opportunity to resort to violence in the capital city.

IKRAM ULLAH KHAN Rawalpindi