JAH urges govt to intervene in mosque fight

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: The Jamaat Ahl-e-Hadith (JAH) on Friday called on the federal government to intervene in the Batagram mosque issue and help in its reconstruction. The JAH also threatened to besiege the provincial assembly if the NWFP government did not resolve the mosque dispute.

The warning came at a public meeting of the JAH held at Fawara Chowk to protest the demolition of the mosque in Batagram. The speakers asked the federal government to intervene as the provincial government was ignoring the mosque issue.

Prior to the public meeting, the JAH led a rally from Fawara Chowk and marched on different roads.

The protestors were holding banners and placards splashed with slogans condemning the provincial government and chief minister.

Maqsood Salfi asked the provincial government to honour its promise and give a piece of land to the JAH to build a mosque.

Maulana Syed Hasan Shah, Haji Dost Muhammad, Sharafat Ali Mubarak and Muhammad Idrees Adeel also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers said the provincial government was not “interested in Islam” and “the chief minister grew a beard to become the chief minister”. They said the government was not sincere in the implementation of an Islamic system in the province.

They alleged that the government was giving contracts to its favourites. They alleged that the people who martyred the mosque in Batagram were released on March 11 while the entry of clerics belonging to the JAH in Batagram was banned for 60 days. This is a mockery of justice, they added.

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