Religious scholar concerned at security denial

Published March 17, 2021
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza was delivering a lecture at a religious academy when he was attacked. — Photo: Twitter
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza was delivering a lecture at a religious academy when he was attacked. — Photo: Twitter

GUJRAT: Religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, who survived yet another attempt on his life, says he has not been provided with security despite requests to the Jhelum police.

Narrating the recent attack, Mr Mirza, who has a huge following online, told Dawn that he delivered weekly lectures after Zuhr prayers on Sundays in his academy where each participant had to pass through a security check.

He said the attacker had managed his entry at around 8am when the academy gate was opened and hid the sharp-edged weapon. He kept on waiting for the lecture to finish at around 3:30pm when the participants usually had photo sessions with the scholar.

“But a participant from Sialkot breached the queue to be photographed to leave a bit earlier and just then the suspect’s blade hit the hand of the Sialkot man who raised some alarm. At this, the suspect rushed towards me to hit me but security men saved me. The attacker again rushed towards me for the second time and the blade hit me on the shoulder,” Mirza said. He was discharged from a local hospital the same day.

He said he had survived a murder attempt in 2017 and sustained multiple wounds on his body. The attacker in that incident was also a Lahore-based man; however, Mirza had pardoned him since he was misled by some religious leaders.

After the attack in 2017, he said, police had deployed two cops for his security, which were later withdrawn. He had then arranged his private security.

Sources in police said a ‘Mufti’ had instigated the accused to attack Mirza.

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza does not follow any particular sect and he points out, in almost all sects of Islam, ‘contradictions’ with basics of the religion with reference to books of Ahadith and the Quran. He is a qualified engineer and is stated to be in government service. He does not take any funds from individuals or organisations.

Jhelum DPO Shakir Hussain Dawar says security had not been provided to Mr Mirza because the district intelligence committee had recommended his name to be included in the Fourth Schedule for his `controversial’ statements.

He said the police had recommended the authorities concerned to shut down the academy of Mr Mirza. Fourth Schedule is the list of proscribed individuals suspected of terrorism or sectarianism who are kept under observation.

Jhelum police had arrested Mirza and booked him on charges of uttering remarks against some religious scholars in May 2020 and he was released by court on bail a day later after his arrest.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.