RAWALPINDI: Authorities initially imposed a curfew for 24 hours and then decided to extend it for another day in parts of Rawalpindi after clashes erupted at an Ashura (Muharram 10) procession near Fawara Chowk, that left 10 people dead and over 80 others injured.
The army was also called out in parts of Multan and Bahawalnagar districts due to tension and clashes. In Multan, a man was killed and properties were burnt in both districts.
Curfew was imposed in Rawalpindi on the request of commissioner and IG Punjab, a spokesman for the Punjab government was quoted by news channels as saying.
According to the Rawalpindi DCO‚ eight people were killed in a clash between two groups near an Ashura procession with 35 others injured. However, various news channels reported on Saturday that the death toll had reached 10.
Authorities decided that mobile phone services would remain suspended in Rawalpindi and Islamabad until Sunday.
All educational and business activities will also remain closed across the city. The curfew was imposed within the limits of 19 Pindi police stations and extended to Rawal Town and Potohar Town.
Rawalpindi city police and a large number of army troops were patrolling various areas of the city.
Containers were placed in Faizabad to block the Murree Road while security had been tightened at all worship places of the city. Emergency had also been declared in all hospitals.
The incident took place on Friday when a group of miscreants reportedly snatched guns from police personnel and opened fire.
As panic spread, unidentified people set a portion of the cloth market in Raja Bazaar on fire.
Police and media persons were assaulted by unidentified people. A large contingent of the fire-brigade, rescue teams and six army companies were summoned to control the situation.
Rescue 1122 said the injured were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital.
Reports said a place of worship and a school were burned down. Ten buildings are known to have been destroyed.
The Jaffria Alliance condemned the violence in Rawalpindi and demanded of the provincial government to bring to justice those who had resorted to gunfire.
Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, talking exclusively to a private TV channel, said that the Punjab government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the violent incident. The minister said the bodies of the victims had been handed over to their relatives.
Meanwhile, the Multan administration has summoned the army in the wake of a clash between two groups in the city, according to a private TV channel.
One person was killed and two others were severely injured in the clash that took place in Multan’s Nala Wali Muhammad area, following which the situation in the city became tense. Following the clash, miscreants blocked roads in the city by setting fire to tyres and other objects.
Ameen Abbasi adds from Bahawalpur: The Pakistan Army was called out by the Bahawalnagar district administration for tehsil Chishtian and Haroonabad on Saturday morning to control clashes in Chishtian, started by a group amid burning of one worship place and properties of their opponent group. Thousands of people attacked properties of a group on Saturday on different roads of Chishtian city, and forced the district police to lob teargas shells and resort to lathi-charge on rioters and the violent mob.
However, after deployment of the army contingent, the situation was brought under control to some extent. Bahawalnagar DPO Athar Ismail told The News on Saturday that the police and the district administration tried their best to control the situation and later on called out the army. He said hundreds of miscreants besieged a worship place in Chishtian and set it on fire.
Also, the situation took a turn for the worse in Haroonabad as a group of people besieged a worship place near Chowk Fawara and attempted to set on it fire amid firing. As a result, one policeman was critically injured. On Saturday, protesters turned violent and police had to resort to teargas shelling and lathi-charge and dozens of people were injured and two of them were admitted to the BVH Bahawalpur.
Later, during the police search operation more than 60 protesters were arrested.
Till the filing of the report, DPO Bahawalnagar, acting DCO Bahawalnagar Manzar Javid Ali and army officers were holding a meeting to control the situation and restore peace in the area.
Scores of private properties worth millions of rupees belonging to one group of people were ransacked, looted, damaged and burnt to ashes in Chishtian on Saturday morning.
Late on Friday night, police registered an FIR against a speaker of one group. On Saturday a violent mob looted an optical shop, dental clinic and medican agency of people belonging to one group. No one was arrested.
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