Police see attempt to spread communal violence in Ghotki

GHOTKI: Communal tensions ran high in Sindh’s Ghotki district on Wednesday after a man belonging to minorities was arrested for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran a day earlier.Two men belonging to minorities were shot while having tea at a stall in Ghotki’s town of Mirpur Mathelo in an attack by a mob on Wednesday. One of the victims, a 17-year-old, died while his friend was in a critical condition, the police said. Police and Rangers personnel have been deployed in the area.

Police have alleged attempt by certain elements to fan communal and sectarian violence in the area,  Local leaders of the minority community, while talking to journalists here, demanded protection for their lives and properties in the wake of the tension.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghotki, Masood Ahmed Bangash, told the media that the police with the help of the Rangers were trying to defuse the tense situation which emerged after villagers in Mehran Samejo near Daharki caught a man allegedly desecrating the pages of the Holy Quran.

Locals said the suspect was a drug addict who had begun living in a mosque after converting to Islam a few months ago, adding that his mental condition was unstable. All big and small towns of the Ghotki district including Daharki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro and Khanpur Mehar remained closed on Wednesday due to communal tensions for the second consecutive day.

Sukkur SSP Amjad Shaikh went to the protest site in Daharki along with his team and tried to persuade the people to end their sit-in, but his vehicle came under attack and sustained damage.

The accused was booked and shifted to an undisclosed location by the police, SSP Bangash said, adding that the police and law-enforcement agencies arrested over 150 people on rioting charges in overnight raids in the district. He said heavy contingents of police had been posted at sensitive areas. 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has instructed the party MNA of the area to visit the family of the killed man and offer condolences on his behalf. He also asked the provincial government to ensure peace and harmony in Ghotki and other parts of the province. He said anti-social elements fanning hatred and violence should be reined in and punished.