HYDERABAD: Observance of Azadari in Hyderabad began on Sunday in somewhat unpleasant manner amid tension between two Shia organisations over holding of Majalis (congregations) at Qadam Gah Maula Ali.

A tense situation had already prevailed in and around the Qadam Gah as Anjuman-i-Imamia Sindh (AIS) several days back expressed its intention not to let Anjuman-i-Hyderi (AH) to hold its Majalis at the place despite having legal permits. The 10-day Majalis at Qadam Gah are held for almost seven decades.

Never before this year such a situation had been witnessed at Qadam Gah over holding of traditional programmes of Muharram. Police contingent remained deployed there. On Sunday, the AH was finally allowed to organise its Majalis as per the tradition after intervention of the Hyderabad deputy commissioner and SSP.

SSP Amjad Shaikh made it sure that the already set traditions were not disturbed. “I told them that no deviation could be accepted a far as observance of days including 10-day Majalis, central and 8th Rabiul Awwal processions is concerned,” the SSP told Dawn on Sunday, implying that the AH would hold its 10-day Majalis as per schedule and traditions.

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Trouble had started last year when the AIS, the custodian and management of Qadam Gah, had informed the AH that it would not allow it to hold the 10-day Majalis regardless of the tradition. The move was unacceptable to the AH.

The Qadam Gah, considered to be sacred not only in Fiqah-i-Jafria but also in Ahl-i-Sunnat’s Barelvi school of thought, is located off Station Road. A prayer mat of stone with imprints of Hazrat Ali Murtaza’s forehead, hands, knees and feet in position of prostration. It was brought by Talpurs from Iran in 1805. Since then the site is frequented by faithful.

Hyderabad-based AH, registered in 1948, has permits to stage the city’s central Ashura procession on 10th of Muharram, 10-day Majlis from Ist to 10th of Muharram, 10-day Majlis from 28th of Safar to 8th of Rabiul Awwal and ‘chup tazia’ procession on 8th of Rabiul Awwal.

However, The Shia sect calls Muharram’s first 10 days as ‘Ashra-i-Oola’ and Safar-Rabiul Awwal 10-day period as ‘Ashra-i-Akhir’.

For several days, AH and AIS had been talking to each other, directly or indirectly, but the talks remained inconclusive. One round of talks was held at the Hyderabad DC’s house in the presence of DC Fuad Soomro a few days back but still the matter remained unresolved.

On Saturday, the AH leadership brought things on record expressing its resolve to hold its Majalis at Qadam Gah “come what may”. At a press conference addressed by its acting president Ali Jawad Ansari, the AH made it clear that it would hold its first Majlis on the 1st of Muharram at Qadam Gah. He referred to a charter of demands drafted by the AIS which, he said, his organisation had refused to accept as it asked the AH would to hold its Majlais at Karbala Dadan Shah and not at Qadam Gah. The charger allowed the AH to continue to stage Ashura’s central and chup tazia processions.

Ghulam Mohammad Rind alias Chanda —chairman of the committee that had been mediating in the matter between the two sides for a year — spoke at length at the press conference.

“Actually the administration is afraid of Sindh NAB’s DG Dr Najaf Mirza, who is brother of AIS’s Sadiq Mirza”, Mr Rind said.

“The AH has been holding its permitted events for decades. I, as the committee chairman, had asked the AIS to explain how the AH can be denied these activities and if there is anything wrong on the part of the AH, the latter can be asked to rectify it. The AIS, he said, was custodian of Qadam Gah but it couldn’t restrain the AH from holding its activities as it has valid permits for the events”.

Sadiq Mirza, the head of Qadam Gah’s management committee, had insisted on Saturday night that: “We will not allow them [AH] to hold 10-day Majlis of Muharram but it can hold the Ashura central and chupa tazia processions.” Mr Mirza is brother of Dr Najaf Mirza.

Mr Ansari said: “We won’t tolerate obstruction in observance of days”.

According to Nawaz Bhutto, the AIS had started creating problems during last year’s Ashra-i-Akhir. “We had settled things somehow. AIS is again behaving in a manner not acceptable to us,” he said.

“AIS is acting quite childishly rather foolishly. AIS can’t just do it as the AH has every right to hold its traditional programmes before and during Muharram,” remarked Kazim Mirza, a former AIS member. He served as head of Qadam Gah’s management for 11 years (1994-2005). AIS had revoked his basic membership and he filed a case which is pending adjudication. “My membership was cancelled by AIS’s patrons when they dissolved my management,” he said.

He accused AIS of trying to create chaos. AIS can’t deny anything to AH since it has valid permits for religious activities,” he said while referring to Mehfil-i-Hussaini, which holds one of the big Majlis on Station Road.

“Same goes for Qadam Gah for which the AH has valid permits to hold Majlais and start central and other processions. Even AIS can’t hold programmes at Qadam Gah sans permits. It is tantamount to causing provocation,” he remarked.

DC Fuad talked to the Hyderabad SSP who eventually got the issue settled amicably.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2022