MULTAN, Jan 5: More than 8,000 people of all schools of thought on Tuesday attended the
funeral of 16 people who were gunned down by four terrorists on Monday in Karamdad Qureshi
(Muzaffargarh), 60 km away from here.
The funeral prayers were led by Tehrik-i-Jafria (TJP) chief Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi and,
later, by Maulana Abdul Karim Faizi on behalf of the Sunnis. The TJP chief addressed the
mourners and said that the government had failed in controlling terrorism in the Punjab
and arresting terrorists involved in the killing of innocent people.
He said that the TJP was being forced to ask its people to take measures for their
self-defence because "we do not want to see more corpses". However, he advised
his followers not to take the law in their hands as participation of people from all
schools of thought in the funeral had proved that there were no differences or enmities
among the Sunnis and Shias. He said that TJP would observe three days mourning to express
its solidarity with the dead.
STRIKE: A complete strike was observed in Karamdad Qureshi town where all markets remained
closed on Tuesday. To check any untoward incident, the police blocked all roads leading to
the town and did not let a large number of TJP activists coming from Muzaffargarh, Leiah,
Multan and Khanewal attend the mass funeral. Meanwhile, the Muzaffargarh police have
formed two special teams to apprehend the so far unknown killers. Although a number of
suspects picked up from different parts of the district were being interrogated, no clue
to the assailants had been found.
IGP, HOME SECRETARY: Punjab police chief Jehanzeb Burki and Home Secretary Shahzad Hassan
Pervez visited the mosque and talked to some eye-witnesses. They also went to the
residences of the victims to condole their death on the behalf of the Punjab chief
minister. They pacified angry people and said that "our enemy wants to divide the
nation into smaller groups."
Meanwhile in Islamabad the Pakistan National Assembly adopted a resolution on Tuesday
condemning the killing of 16 people at an Imambargah at Karamdad Qureshi on Monday. The
house asked the federal and provincial governments to intensify their efforts to arrest
the culprits and curb sectarian violence.
The resolution read: " This house condemns the killing of 16 Namazis in a
shameful incident at an Imambargah at Muzzafargarh and asks the federal government and
provincial governments to intensify further their efforts to curb sectarian incidents and
arrest the culprits." The Acting Speaker, Jaffar Iqbal, put the motion before the
house for approval and it was passed unanimously amidst vociferous shouts of "Ayes,
Ayes".
Later, the National Assembly took up another resolution moved by Peter John Sahotra, which
condemned attacks on churches in India and urged New Delhi to protect the minorities and
their places of worship. The resolution was adopted unanimously.