SOPs flouted as Youm-e-Ali procession taken out despite ban

LAHORE: After a series of clashes between protesters and police before and after the Sehri time, the Lahore administration and the Punjab government were forced to lift the ban on the central procession of Youm-e-Ali and allow it to be taken out from Mubarak Haveli inside Mochi Gate early Friday morning.

The protesters mainly comprised women and youths pelted stones which left several police personnel, including the Dolphin Force members, wounded while many protesters were also injured due to police baton charge. After the clashes persisted and the situation grew violent, the residents of different walled city areas also joined the turmoil, forcing the police to withdraw from the cordon points, lift barricades and remove the containers that sealed the procession route, which was finally taken out at around 7:45am Friday morning, witnesses told The News.

It was not confirmed as to which authority ordered lifting of ban on the procession, but the heads of the processions Agha Babu and Shia Ulema Council Punjab president Allama Sibtain Sabzwari told The News that the administration allowed them to take out the procession before 9am and to culminate it before 3pm. However, no arrests were reported in this regard.

Azadari Council Punjab Chairman Allama Prof Zulfiqar Haider said the Youm-e-Ali processions were taken out in various cities of Punjab, including Rawalpindi and Islamabad in defiance of the ban imposed by the government. He said even in Lahore, the processions were taken out on Thursday in Iqbal Town, Shahdara, Imamia Colony, Islampura etc. Zulfiqar Haider said the angry participants flouted the government SOPs and even did not wear face masks.

He said various religious organisations had been negotiating with the government over the past one month regarding Youm-e-Ali processions and the government had initially agreed to allow the processions under compliance with the SOPs, but suddenly the Punjab and Sindh governments announced a ban on the processions which provoked the religious sentiments of the people. He said various groups had already anticipated the police cordon and had sent the prospective participants of the procession to Mubarak Haveli and nearby houses a couple of days ago to join the procession at any given time. He lamented that the ban was the violation of an earlier assurance which Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi had given to a meeting of national level religious scholars’ leadership two weeks ago that mourning would be allowed under SOPs.

Allama Sibtain Sabzwari told The News that the people had rejected the ban on Youm-e-Ali processions, as it was against the religious freedom. He said earlier, Law Minister Raja Basharat and Home secretary Momin Agha had assured that processions would not be banned, but the government backed out of its assurances. He said besides banning the processions, the government had only allowed one-hour majlis under SOPs which was unacceptable.