GULAB LEGHARI: On Thursday, December 19, 2024 : The Sindh Auqaf Department began construction of its office in an empty lot near the shrine of Masooma-e-Sindh Bibi Maham (SA), at the location designated for vehicle parking. However, a group of 4-5 known troublemakers—Ashraf Laghari, Ghulam Rasool Qureshi, Ghulam Mustafa Qureshi, among others—who have been actively instigating religious discord and unrest in the area for several years, attempted to intimidate the workers and provoke a confrontation. Later, they gathered people, protested, and forcibly halted the government-sanctioned construction work.
These individuals also announced that on Friday, December 20, 2024, a shutter-down strike and a sit-in at the shrine, under the leadership of the banned organization Sipah-e-Sahaba (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi), would take place in Gulab Laghari.
It should be noted that this same group of troublemakers has been active for the past 6-7 years in creating significant religious unrest in the area. They often harass, demean, and obstruct visitors coming from across the country to the shrine. Despite their efforts, visitors continue to arrive. In retaliation, these individuals have adopted various tactics to intimidate the pilgrims, leading to increasing tensions, which local sensible individuals have worked to alleviate.
The group has also engaged in conspiracies, such as filing blasphemy cases against Auqaf employees and members of the religious affairs committee. They tore pages from the Holy Quran, scattered them in a graveyard, and attempted to accuse Auqaf employees of blasphemy, but investigations revealed their own culpability. On another occasion, they removed a wooden pulpit from a mosque to incite unrest, but local responsible citizens thwarted their plans.
This group has repeatedly collaborated with banned organizations like Sipah-e-Sahaba to organize strikes and protests in Gulab Laghari, carrying out rallies from the city to Bibi’s shrine while shouting inflammatory slogans. They have intimidated pilgrims, forcing them to leave without paying their respects. Despite these actions, no legal action has been taken against them.
A few months ago, when the Sindh Auqaf Department initiated construction work on the shrine, the group fabricated more than seven fake graves overnight along the pathway intended for transporting construction materials, halting the project. When the government approved another project for the shrine, they created 24 additional fake graves overnight on an alternate route, causing the project to be suspended.
Today, as the Auqaf Department began constructing an office in the parking area, these individuals again resorted to their usual tactics, attempting to incite new religious and sectarian unrest.
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