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LAHORE: A number of people lodged a vociferous protest on Friday against the Mughalpura police for “arresting and beating up” a prayer leader just before Friday prayers.
The charged people blocked Shalimar Link Road to traffic and shouted slogans against the Mughalpura station house officer for thrashing the prayer leader of Jamia Masjid on the pretext of a drive against misuse of loudspeaker.
Witnesses said scores of people missed Friday prayers when Mughalpura SHO Adnan Rasheed arrested prayer leader Qari Abid Faisal who was ready for sermon. They alleged the SHO, along with other policemen, thrashed Qari Faisal in the presence of scores of people who had arrived there for prayers. They later bundled the prayer leader into the police van amid protest by the locals.
The incident sparked anger among the locals who hit out at the police, saying there’s no justification of arresting the prayer leader. The situation remained tense as the protesters wanted to besiege the police station for humiliating the prayer leader. The traffic remained suspended for hours on one of the busiest roads.
Meanwhile, Mughalpura Circle DSP Abdul Qayyum Gondal and SHOs of other police stations reached there and held negotiations with the protesters. The DSP during preliminary inquiry held the Mughalpura SHO guilty and released Qari Faisal.
The protesters dispersed giving a deadline of 24 hours to suspend the SHO and warned that they would besiege the office of the DIG if strict disciplinary action was not taken against him for misuse of authority.
Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2015
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Comments (35) Closed
Jan 10, 2015 09:38am
Great Beginning!
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Jan 10, 2015 09:49am
@Ashraf Choudhry correct, now protestors should be warned and if hey do not comply, should be arrested too for interfering with the law enforcement authorities.
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Jan 10, 2015 09:58am
It would be worth mentioning what the prayer leader did or guilty off so that people would have same opinion rather then a protest
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Jan 10, 2015 10:03am
Police is not going to attack Prayer leader in air. There must be something he did otherwise PK police having soft corner for religious clerics and religious groups and banned outfits can not unnecessary arrest him. PK public must behave wisely and must not interfere where interference is not needed and must interfere where it is truly needed. But they are blind followers and they would keep following their religious thugs until those thugs will sell them cheaply or ditch them. Because of such blind Paki majority Pakistan reached to this state of turmoil.
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Jan 10, 2015 10:07am
Incomplete report.
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Jan 10, 2015 10:19am
Yet the establishment is not ready to accept that it is the Punjab which is at the root of all forms of religious bigotry and extremism.
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Jan 10, 2015 10:32am
This is the soft corner for terrorists in Pakistani society. When the lives and property of such people is destroyed they ask government and blame the government for incompetence. Those who are against terrorism should stand against these loudspeaker mullahs who spread hate and intolerance.
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Jan 10, 2015 10:52am
Why is it so important for the public to stand up for qari or mullah. all these qari's do is eat Halwa and never participate in any welfare activities such as drought, earth quake floods etc. scum of the nation.
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Jan 10, 2015 11:08am
Need military court or military police may be
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Jan 10, 2015 11:09am
Loudspeakers are misused by the mosques in Pakistan. The Fajar Adhans reverberate throughout the city for over an hour. If the salat has to offered at the correct time, there is no justification for Adhans to go on for such a long time. The mullahs should climb up the minarets in call Adhan by the mouth alone as is the tradition from the tie of the Holy Prophet PBUH. Similarly the sermons should not be heard outside the boundary of the mosque. Let the mullahs not make a joke of the religion.
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Jan 10, 2015 11:11am
What is worrying and something to ponder on is not the arrest of the moulvi, which might or might not have been justified, the worrying aspect is the entrenchment of the militant mindset in the general public which compelled them to automatically come out and create a ruckus to get the moulvi released.
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Jan 10, 2015 11:37am
If the investigation found the mughalpura SHO guilty, why wasn't he arrested?
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Jan 10, 2015 11:49am
@TruePakistani
Even if he was guilty, its not the way to beat & arrest a prayer leader right in front of scores of people gathered to offer prayers behind him. And that too once he didn't even begin his sermon.
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Jan 10, 2015 11:59am
Police did the right thing.
They should have registered a case against the leading protesters as well. Bad start.
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Jan 10, 2015 12:02pm
@jay
You are so ill informed. Just bother to dig some information and you will find what is the role of religious charity organizations in welfare activities. Even Musharraf who went hard against religious organizations, openly agreed to their role in the earthquake.
And above all how do you know that someone's individual deeds? Participating in welfare activities individually is something which everybody does not want to publicize.
We should look at our own flaws rather than pointing fingers at others without any basis. The pertinent question to ask is "what welfare Im doing to the society" rather than "what he or someone else is doing".
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Jan 10, 2015 12:13pm
@vaqas
The people peacefully protested without any violence. How can you call it a result of militant mindset?
There are violent, deadly protests common in our society related to political or ethnic matters. Why don't you call them a product of militant mindset?
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Jan 10, 2015 12:15pm
Look at the irony, they went on to do protest on the road instead someone from the crowd should have lead the prayer.
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Jan 10, 2015 12:23pm
The man was only doing his job. The police should've dispersed the protestors. This SHO is to be commended.
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Jan 10, 2015 01:01pm
We should respect our Ulema / Qari/ prayer leader. Minor things / violation on their part be ignored.
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Jan 10, 2015 01:15pm
Any one, be it a prayer leader, can be arrested and tried in courts under the rules. But why do our police love the act of thrashing the arrested person(s) and why such policemen are not punished is a big question. Suspension is not enough at all....punishment / a jail term is what is required. Many a policemen are reported to have been suspended for various crimes and some of them are suspended too but no one is reported to have been sentenced to jail terms. How come suspension is considered enough for policemen while common men are arrested, thrashed and sent to jail too. Why this different mode of action ? Can our home minister enlighten us on this matter ?
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Jan 10, 2015 01:22pm
It seems that it was the public thrashing by the police which was upsetting to the people. Lawful arrest is ok but beating an unarmed citizen is unlawful
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Jan 10, 2015 01:47pm
Classic Punjab Pulss! they may have made a law breaking preacher a hero.. excellent job Punjab Puls
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Jan 10, 2015 02:15pm
Law is equal for every one and our public is sentimental who do not use brain for any action.
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Jan 10, 2015 02:17pm
Our Hazoor e karim Hazrat Mohammed {PBUH) never never during Taqreer or reading Sermon ever shouted, why do Qari's or Moulah's of today?
Hazrat Mohammed (PBUH) had wisdom, most Qari's & Moulah's don't.
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Jan 10, 2015 02:34pm
Salute to the SHO. Let actions speak louder than words.
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Jan 10, 2015 02:36pm
Is the use of loudspeakers during sermons "bidat"??where are the fatwa factory owners??
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Jan 10, 2015 02:38pm
Police shoud be very careful when taking any action against religious leaders, peoples are against terrorism only not against religion.
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Jan 10, 2015 02:38pm
So it is fine to humiliate Educated and Reasonable People, Professors and Scientists. It is fine to kill non-muslims or other sect's people, it is fine to make women's lives miserable and do everything that goes against civilised norms. It is fine to humiliate and challenge the State of Pakistan, but it is unacceptable to humiliate a Prayer Leader?
Welcome to Al-Bakistan
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Jan 10, 2015 03:14pm
Bravo Mughalpura police. Salute to SHO Adnan Rasheed. He should be appreciated by his superiors for upholding the law. The same people who are protesting will protest again when someone near and dear will die as a result of terrorism instigated by the terrorists.
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Jan 10, 2015 03:21pm
Good job
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Jan 10, 2015 04:11pm
How can the DSP find the SHO guilty? Only a judge may do so.
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Jan 10, 2015 04:17pm
Why did the people miss their prayers. In Islam there is no requirement for a duly ordained priest to lead the prayers. Any elder could have led.
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Jan 10, 2015 05:57pm
Power of mullahs, religious clergy can get away with any thing. Police is scared, God help Pakistan
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Jan 11, 2015 12:14am
@ pls why so much hate ??
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Jan 11, 2015 12:16am
@nabil do u have wisdom?
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