Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: The Government officials and peoples of LEAs are offering unnecessary hurdles in arrangement of Moharram processions and indoor meetings in the name of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Security threat during ongoing month of Moharram-Ul-Haram. It was observed by the head of Central Organizing Committee of Moharram-ul-Harram of Shia Ulema Council of Pakistan Allama Arif Hussain Wahidi along with other leaders of Shia Community during a press conference in Islamabad on Monday.
Allama Arif Hussain Wahidi said that the Police and Districts Administrations across the country particularly in Punjab are taking extra-constitutional steps while obstructing the organization of Moharram-ul-Harram’s processions and indoor meetings including banning of entry of respectable Shia Ulema, threats of arrests and intimidation of inclusion in forth schedule, demand of guarantee bonds, disapproval of application for organization of meetings and processions, insulting honorable Shia Ulema etc are common tactics being used by the administration and Police.
Allama Wahidi was of the view that article 20 of the Constitution of Pakistan has conferred right to all its citizen of peaceful gathering and performing their religious obligations freely.
According to him, Supreme Court of Pakistan also upheld these constitutional rights of citizen of the country in its verdict on the subject.
Allama Arif Hussain was of the view that the provincial and districts administrations are offering resistance on different pretexts which is totally contrary to the Constitution and Supreme Court’s decision and Shia Ulema Council condemns this behavior.
Allama Arif Hussain Wahidi accused the Police across the country specifically in Punjab for abusing power and violating the law, constitution and verdict of the top court of the Country by offering obstruction in performance of religious obligations of the public.
Wahid warned the government that the Shia Community will turn the processions into dharanas and protests across the country if situation does not improve during coming days.
He said that Shia Community must not be compelled for launching of nationwide movement against this illegal and insulting behavior of the Police.
Allama Wahidi informed the journalists that under the instructions of Quaid-e-Millat-e-Jaffaria, Allama Sajid Hussain Naqvi, a Central Organizing Committee and a Central monitoring Cell has been established in the country to
supervise and monitor the situation of Muharram’s processions and indoor meetings across the
country and for
necessary coordination with LEAs.
