Pakistan – Page 14

Pakistan Taliban storm Peshawar school, 130 killed

December 16, 2014 by Nasheman

The feet of a victim of a Taliban attack in a school are tied together at a local hospital in Peshawar — AP

At least 126 people, mostly children, have been killed in a Taliban assault on an army-run school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, officials say.

Five or six militants are said to have entered the building. Five are reported to have been killed, at least one of them in a suicide blast.

The army says most of the school’s 500 students have been evacuated. It is not clear how many are being held hostage.

The attack is being seen as one of the worst yet in Pakistan.

The BBC’s Aamer Ahmed Khan in Islamabad says the killing of schoolchildren has caused unprecedented shock.

Thousands of Pakistanis have been killed in militant violence in recent years.

A spokesman for the militants says the school was targeted in response to army operations.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters are thought to have died in a recent military offensive in North Waziristan and the nearby Khyber area.

A student cries on a man’s shoulder, after he was rescued from the Army Public School – Reuters

Many of the casualties were reportedly caused by a suicide blast. At least 80 of the dead are said to be children.

The attack started at 10:00 local time (05:00 GMT). Mudassir Awan, a worker at the school, said he saw six people scaling the walls of the school.

“We thought it must be the children playing some game,” he told Reuters news agency. “But then we saw a lot of firearms with them.

“As soon as the firing started, we ran to our classrooms,” he said. “They were entering every class and they were killing the children.”

A school worker and a student interviewed by the local Geo TV station said the attackers had entered the Army Public School’s auditorium, where a military team was conducting first-aid training for students.

Locals said they also heard the screams of students and teachers. The dead are said to include teachers, as well as a paramilitary soldier.

Gunfire and loud explosions were heard as security forces hunted down the militants.

Ambulances have been carrying the injured to nearby hospitals. A helicopter is also in the area. Major roads in Peshawar in the city have been sealed off.

A doctor at the local Lady Reading hospital said many of the students were in “very bad condition”, with severe head wounds.

Frantic parents are gathering at hospitals to find out if their children are safe.

The school is at the edge of a military cantonment in Peshawar, which has seen some of the worst of the violence during a Taliban insurgency in recent years.

Many of the students were the children of military personnel. Most of them would have been aged 16 or under.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has just arrived in Peshawar, described the attack as a “national tragedy”.

The Pakistani opposition politician and former cricket captain Imran Khan condemned the attack as “utter barbarism”.

Visiting Pakistani MPs ignored at Indian Parliament

December 12, 2014 by Nasheman

Pakistani lawmakers who visited Indian parliament complained they were ignored by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

New Delhi: Pakistani MPs who visited Parliament on Friday complained they were not given a proper welcome and were ignored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, reported NDTV.

The delegation’s visit has been organized by a private group as part of dialogue initiated by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for parliamentarians on both sides.

The Pakistani lawmakers said they were not allowed in Parliament on Thursday and today, they were never introduced in the house.

“Today we visited Parliament…and nobody mentioned us. We sat in the gallery. In other Parliaments the Speaker announces and introduces the delegates. We sat for 20 minutes but there was no announcement, no welcome,” Rasheed Gudlam told NDTV.

Mr Gudlam said on Thursday, the delegation was denied entry into the House by the “Speaker’s security personnel.”

“We requested that we want to visit Parliament. But liberal democratic India wouldn’t allow parliamentarians from Pakistan to visit Parliament. It’s amazing,” he said.

The MPs said they also tried to meet the Speaker twice but couldn’t – the first time she was busy and the second time, around lunch, she was not in her office.

“We went twice today. Her staff gave us time at 12. We came a little after that and she left,” Mr Gudlam said.

“I think there was some miscommunication. She seems busy,” said his colleague Maiza.

The Speaker said she was unaware of the delegation. “I was waiting. Nobody came,” she said while leaving Parliament. Her office said she was not obliged to meet the Pakistani MPs as the delegation is private.

BJP MP Kirti Azad, who was in charge of receiving the Pakistanis, said he had urged them to come on time but they arrived at seven minutes past 1 pm. “I had asked them to be quick but they were late. They have to honour the Speaker at least,” Mr Azad said.

Responding to their complaint about not being welcomed, he admitted, “There must have been a glitch somewhere.”

Clashes erupt in Pakistan 'shut down' protest

December 9, 2014 by Nasheman

Supporters of Imran Khan clash with police as they heed his call and attempt to shut down Faisalabad city.

Ex-cricketer Khan called for “shut down” protests to pressure the federal government to step down [AFP]

by Al Jazeera

Police have clashed with hundreds of protesters from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who were attempting to shut down the eastern city of Faisalabad as part of its leader Imran Khan’s movement against the federal government.

Police used water cannons, wooden batons and tear gas on Monday against protesters in several areas, including the central Millat Chowk area, local news television footage showed.

The situation remains tense, as supporters of the PTI, also known as the Movement for Justice party, refuse to back down.

Protesters conducted sit-ins at main intersections in the city, a major economic hub, and shouted slogans against the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) government.

They burned tyres and blocked roads, while PML-N workers threw rocks and used wooden batons, prompting owners of businesses in areas where the protests were taking place to shut down their shops.

Small groups of PTI supporters have clashed with PML-N workers as well.

The protest is part of a call Khan made on November 30, calling for “shut down” protests to be held in several Pakistani cities to increase pressure on the PML-N government, before a countrywide strike on December 18.

Khan, a former cricketer, alleges that the PML-N government rigged the 2013 general elections, internationally recognised as largely free and fair, in order to sideline his party.

Since August this year, he has been leading protests around the country calling for Nawaz Sharif to resign as prime minister.

If Junaid Jamshed’s “Blasphemy” Can Be Forgiven, Then Why Are Others Punished?

December 5, 2014 by Nasheman

by Ro Waseem, Patheos

Pakistan is known for its notorious anti-blasphemy laws. Under the Pakistan Penal Code, making blasphemous remarks about Prophet Mohammad can get you imprisoned for life, or be sentenced to death. Making blasphemous remarks about the Quran will get you imprisoned for life. While, making blasphemous remarks about his family or his companions will cost you 3 years in prison.

When “preserving” the sanctity of religious figures becomes more important than human lives, then that is an indicator for some serious introspection. Something we Muslims have been shying away from, for too long!

It would take too much space to expand on that, but I’ve previously argued in one of my articles that anti-blasphemy and apostasy laws differ from the Quranic commandments, on a most foundational level (You might want to read that here). No, Islam is not so feeble that it needs protecting from citizens who have probably never even read the Quran in their own language. So, perhaps what you are really protecting is your ignorance and your superficial understanding of Islam, gathered through pseudo scholars and the likes.

Moving swiftly on, an interesting (and quite revealing) case broke out recently with Junaid Jamshed, who is popularly known for his transformation from a prominent singer to quite a conservative Islamic preacher. A short clip from one of his sermons recently got viral, in which he is accused to be “blaspheming” against Hazrat Ayesha, one of the wives of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

He starts off, seemingly in a jovial mood, talking about how she would always demand more attention from Prophet Mohammad. So, one day she decided to fake sickness by wrapping a towel around her head.

“What happened, what happened?” inquired Prophet Mohammad.

“Ah, my head is bursting with pain!” she complained.

To which, he said: “Oh Ayesha, if you were to pass away, the Prophet of God would personally offer your funeral prayers. How fortunate would you be?”

She stood up at once: “This is what you ardently desire–that I die, so you could spend more time with your other wives.”

Using this as a reference point, Junaid Jamshed goes on further to add some disgusting & misogynistic comments about the supposed flaws of women. But, I’m quite sure that is not what’s bothering those who seem to have been offended.

Although what Junaid Jamshed said about Hazrat Ayesha seems like an attempt of character assassination, I fail to see how that is more blasphemous than ISIS slaughtering people in the name of Islam, and why the outrage is not directed there. Regardless, soon after, a Fatwa (religious opinion) was issued against Junaid Jamshed by “Sunni Tehreek”, and some people were seen protesting against him.

Given that Junaid Jamshed is a member of “Tableeghi Jamat”, they obviously did not want bad press associated with their movement, which could perhaps delegitimize the authority they enjoy in mainstream Muslim circles. Thus, Maulana Tariq Jameel, a senior member of the Tableeghi Jamat, released a video in which he expressed his sorrow over the “blasphemous” remarks made by Junaid Jamshed, and repeatedly clarified that these views were neither endorsed by him nor the Tableeghi Jamat as a whole. He said human beings are bound to make mistakes, and so Junaid Jamshed should apologize and seek forgiveness from everyone.

Now, the issue had become way too sensitive. So, Junaid Jamshed put on an embarrassed face, and released a video in which he apologized for his “blasphemous” remarks, and pleaded everyone to forgive him. “People make mistakes”, he said. And, judging by the top comments under the video, it seems that people have indeed forgiven him. Case resolved. What a happy ending!

Yet, is it really?

Needless to say that I do not think he should be charged for blasphemy and that I feel relieved that Muslims have forgiven him, I think this partial attitude does more harm than good, for it promotes double standards and hypocrisy! I wonder, why are people who belong to minority groups in Pakistan not given the same privilege, the same benefit of doubt when accused of blasphemy? Why are they not given the luxury of apologizing for their “mistake”, a mistake they may or may not even have committed? Why does the state not recognize that anti-blasphemy laws are mostly used to settle personal disputes and prejudices?

Furthermore, what happened to the central Quranic commandment of standing up for justice impartially, even if it be against ourselves, or our family (Quran 4:135)? Conveniently ignored, as always?

Hence, the question that begs to be asked is: What if this “mistake” was made by someone not as religiously influential as he is? Would they deserve the same fate as the scores of people who have been murdered or put to death, in the name of “preserving” a religion that is increasingly becoming more and more intolerant & detached from the Quran? Wouldn’t this then be blatant hypocrisy?

So, let us recall what the Quran says about hypocrites, and put an end to the façade of criminals posing as Muslims:

“Without a matter of doubt, the hypocrites shall be in the lowest depths of the Fire – and never will you find for them a helper.” Quran, 4:145

No, Junaid Jamshed should not be tried for blasphemy, but neither should anyone else be. The fact that Veena Malik is sentenced to prison for 26 years for “blasphemy”, while Junaid Jamshed is immediately forgiven is a reflector of our double standards. “We strongly believe in our religion and respect it. It is beyond our wildest imagination to even think of disrespecting the institution.”, said Veena Malik.

Why is her apology not acceptable? Is it because of the fact that we judge people’s character by how “Muslim” they look, instead of looking at their values? Maybe if Veena Malik could grow a beard, we would embrace her too?

Pakistani band denied permission for Mumbai show

December 3, 2014 by Nasheman

Mumbai: Popular band Sachal Jazz Ensemble had to call off its performance in Mumbai on Monday after the city police withheld permission for seven Pakistani artistes in the group to perform, local newspapers said on Tuesday.

They said the Lahore-based band consists of three British citizens and seven Pakistanis. The last-minute cancellation left a 1,000-strong crowd that had gathered to hear the internationally renowned band deeply disappointed.

The band had tweeted on Sunday night that it was going to perform “jazz and ragas” at the NCPA. The performance was to begin at 7pm; the show was cancelled at 7.40 pm after the permissions failed to come through.

“Permission (for the concert) was not given keeping the law and order situation in mind,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (spokesperson) Dhananjay Kulkarni said today.

“The organiser was informed about it on Sunday,” he added.

The band members include Nijat Ali (conductor), Nafees Khan (sitar), Baqar Abbas (flute), Ballu Khan (tabla), Rafiq Ahmed (naal), Najaf Ali (dholak, mardang), Asad Ali (guitar) and UK artistes Phillep Achille (harmonica and double bass) and Steve Lodder (piano).

The three UK citizens in the band were reportedly given approval by the police to perform in the city, but the permissions to the Pakistanis were held up, the papers said.

The band reportedly performed without any hitch in Delhi and Pune a few days ago before arriving here.

In February this year, a press conference attended by members of a music band from Pakistan was disrupted in Mumbai by Shiv Sena workers.

UNGA urges India, Pakistan and Israel to give up nuclear weapons

December 3, 2014 by Nasheman

United Nations: India, backed by the United States, opposed a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling on New Delhi to voluntarily abandon its nuclear weapons. The resolution that also targeted Israel and Pakistan, however, passed overwhelmingly.

The US joined India to vote against a key part of the resolution on achieving a nuclear weapon-free world that called on India, Israel and Pakistan to immediately and unconditionally accede to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as non-nuclear-weapon states and put all their nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

In plain language, this clause would have the three countries it targeted to just give up their nuclear weapons and ability to manufacture them.

Israel and Pakistan also voted against the provision, while France, Britain and Bhutan abstained from voting. It passed with 165 votes in the 193-member UNGA, with 21 countries absent.

India and the US were joined by Britain, Russia, Israel and North Korea in voting against the overall resolution on working towards a nuclear-weapon-free world. But it passed with 169 votes, with China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Micronesia and Palau abstaining.

This resolution and similar ones are not binding under the UN Charter and are symbolic in nature.

India also voted against clauses in two other resolutions that, without naming any country, asked all countries to accede to the NPT while giving up their nuclear arsenals.

New Delhi has been firm in rejecting the NPT, which it considers discriminatory in trying to preserve the nuclear weapons monopoly of five nations — the US, Russia, China, France and Britain.

This stand was reiterated by Ambassador D. B. Venkatesh Varma in October at a meeting of the UNGA’s committee that deals with disarmament and crafted these resolutions. “There is no question of India joining the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state,” said Varma, who is India’s Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament. “In our view, nuclear disarmament can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed global and non-discriminatory multilateral framework.”

India also voted against a resolution pushing for conventional arms control at the regional and sub-regional levels and abstained on another urging nations not to carry out nuclear tests. These resolutions passed by overwhelming majorities.

In another resolution, the UNGA asked all nations to take strong actions to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Yet other resolutions called for lessening international tension by reducing the operational readiness of the several thousand nuclear weapons that remained on high alert despite the end of the cold war, and requested the five nuclear-weapon States to review of nuclear doctrines and take steps to reduce the risks of the use of nuclear weapons.

Modi, Sharif hold informal talks at Saarc retreat

November 27, 2014 by Nasheman

(Front L-R) Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maldives’ President Abdulla Yameen, Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa attend the opening session of 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Kathmandu November 26, 2014. REUTERS/Narendra Shrestha/Pool

Kathmandu: In a significant development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif held informal talks during the 18th Saarc Summit retreat Thursday afternoon.

Both sides maintained silence over the talks and did not divulge any details after the informal meeting.

The effect of the informal talks between Modi and Sharif was immediately reflected in the proposed agreements. The heads of state and government have agreed to sign the Saarc Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation now and decided to sign two other agreements — relating to movement of motor vehicles and railways — within three months in a big face-saver for 18th Saarc Summit host Nepal in particular and the region as a whole.

Dinesh Bhattarai, foreign relations advisor to Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who was present at the retreat, confirmed to IANS that both the leaders held informal talks after meeting each other along with other heads of the state and government.

Prime Minster Koirala pushed the leaders of the two South Asian neighbours to sit for talks, at least informally now, and break the logjam in the bilateral India-Pakistan relations.

When the two leaders were talking, other heads of state and government were also there. The retreat is an informal gathering in Saarc summits, and is referred to as “beauty time”.

In his personal talks with Modi, Koirala asked the Indian prime minister to reach out to Pakistan given its stature as Saarc leader, and its size, population and economy.

Though Modi and Sharif shook hands and talked briefly Wednesday, they had not interacted with each other at length. It was still not clear whether the two sides would hold delegation-level talks after the retreat got over Thursday afternoon.

The Saarc leaders, including Modi, Sharif and Koirala, cracked jokes, planted trees and shared personal trivia with each other.

After the retreat, the leaders have agreed to sign the Saarc Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation which will be announced in the Kathmandu Declaration later Thursday.

Because of the deadlock between India and Pakistan, the fate of three proposed agreements — related to motor vehicles, railways and energy and all pushed by New Delhi — was uncertain until Thursday.

After the retreat and unofficial talks among the leaders, the Saarc leaders have agreed to sign the energy deal now and agreed to complete the other two agreements within three months, Bhattarai said.

Located in the neighbourhood of Kathmandu Valley, the Shangrila Resort in Dhulikhel is famous for its scenic beauty.

“While watching the Himalayas and taking herbal and organic food, Modi and Sharif were seen more open and close,” a diplomat said. “The focus was on how to carry on the Saarc process and how to strengthen bilateral ties.”

The 33 food items served to the leaders were totally vegetarian. Gujarati basundi with jalebi was served to Modi as dessert.

(IANS)

Will push India, Pakistan to hold talks: Nepal foreign minister

November 25, 2014 by Nasheman

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during a meeting in New Delhi. Photo: The Hindu

Kathmandu: Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said Monday that Nepal will push India and Pakistan to hold talks on the sidelines of the SAARC summit.

To end the deadlock between India and Pakistan, “we are trying to crack the nut”, he said in a television interview without divulging much details.

Though official talks between India and Pakistan are still uncertain, Nepal is likely to push the two regional leaders to one table during the retreat organised at Dhulikhel, a popular hill station near Kathmandu.

“SAARC has one very unique practice since its inception. The retreat among the heads of the state and government during the summit provides a platform to hold multilateral and bilateral talks. The talks are going to be held in a very free and frank manner to end mutual suspicion,” Pandey said during a regular press briefing Friday, hinting at the possible talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.

SAARC needs to run like a rabbit, not a tortoise, said Pandey, as “we need harmony” among the member states.

“For that, we are trying to organise bilateral talks between India and Pakistan during the summit so that it can set an example.”

Apart from visiting heads of the state and government, foreign ministers, and foreign secretaries will also be the part of retreat. The delegates will spend over two hours in the resort famous for the scenic Himalayas.

Pandey said during his meetings with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers, while extending invitations to attend the SAARC summit, he had already proposed such talks to them.

“I found both of them were positive in this respect. On that basis, we are making up our mind to bring them to the table,” he said.

(IANS)

Pakistan's Tahir ul Qadri ends alliance with Imran Khan's party

November 18, 2014 by Nasheman

Islamabad: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has parted ways with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), PAT chief Tahirul Qadri said Tuesday.

Addressing a party convention, Qadri said: “Those who are part of status quo and involved in corruption cannot become our allies.”

He said that the parties have different programmes, according to a Geo News report.

Qadri alleged that formation of a joint investigation team for probing the Model Town tragedy was a futile practice.

He said that the Punjab government has not arrested a single suspect in connection with the incident.

The cleric called for capital punishment for those involved in spreading sectarian hatred and claimed that the situation could be improved only after the “execution of some people”.

He said that both the civilian and military governments had never helped common people in Pakistan.

“We have never seen democracy in Pakistan for even a single day,” the PAT chief lamented.

Fourteen people, including women, were killed and dozens injured when clashes between PAT supporters and the police took place at the Minhajul Quran secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town suburb June 17.

Is it a crime to possess or wear clothing with national insignia of a neighbouring South Asian Country?: An Open Letter to Secretary General of SAARC

November 10, 2014 by Nasheman

To:
H.E. Arjun Bahadur Thapa,
Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
SAARC Secretariat,  Tridevi Marg,  P.O. Box 4222,  Kathmandu,  Nepal
saarc@saarc-sec.org

Your excellency,

I write to draw your attention to the recent filing of a police complaint against 10 young boys in the Kushinagar area located in the province of Uttar Pradesh in India on grounds of wearing the Tee shirts of the Pakistan Cricket Team. [see a news report in the Indian Media posted below] It is indeed astonishing that citizen’s of SAARC member states cannot take the risk of wearing clothing bearing insignia from national sports teams of another SAARC member state. In a similar incident in March 2014 some 60 odd students in a university in India were charged with sedition and faced expulsion from their university for cheering the Pakistan Team in cricket match broadcast on TV [http://tinyurl.com/mq2mz2x]. After all the SAARC member states are signatories to a common charter and a whole set of regional agreements that are meant to promote regional cooperation and mutual understanding and incidents like these clearly run counter to these commitments. What is wrong in reading books, seeing films, watching and appreciating sports events, being able to access handicrafts or clothing from countries that are members of SAARC. Why should these banal things which are lived and accepted as normal in other parts of the world be considered inimical to National interests of SAARC states?

Usually people would write a letter like this directly to the authorities concerning the country of wrongdoing, but I choose to write to you most of all, since you hold the fort for SAARC.

This may seem an extra-ordinary request concerning events in a particular SAARC member state but I would like to ask you to kindly take up this matter formally with the Govt of India and also with all member states of SAARC to ensure that the act of purchase or possession of commonly available sports goods bearing national insignia of SAARC member states should not become grounds of filing police complaints in any SAARC country against citizens of SAARC member states. Sir, please dont hold your horses on this even if it means creating a precedent, if not for anything else, you owe it to the tax payers in South Asia’s member states that fund the SAARC secretariat. However symbolic an initiative from you regarding this matter it would render a signal service to citizens of SAARC member states.

Yours sincerely,

Harsh Kapoor [as concerned South Asian]

Copies to:

Mr Akhilesh Yadav Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, 5, Kalidas Marg Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India cmup@nic.in
People’s SAARC Regional Secrerariat, Kathmandu, Nepal peoplesaarc@yahoo.com
South Asians for Human Rights 345/18 Kuruppu Road (17/7 Kuruppu Lane), Colombo 08, Sri Lanka sahr@southasianrights.org
Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal & Asha Hans Co-Chairpersons, Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy – India pipfpd.india@gmail.com
Mr John Dayal, Member, National Integration Council of India john.dayal@gmail.com

UP police register case against 10 boys for wearing T-shirts of Pakistan cricket team

Written by Muzamil Jaleel | New Delhi | Posted: November 8, 2014 | The Indian Express

The Uttar Pradesh Police have registered a case against 10 boys in Kushinagar district for wearing T-shirts of the Pakistani cricket team during a Muharran procession. The boys have been charged for acting “prejudicial to national integration and causing communal disharmony”, sources said.

The sources said the boys, said to be aged under 12, were part of the Muharram procession in Kalyan Chapad Chotta, a village under the jurisdiction of the Kubersthan police station. They were playing with sticks, a tradition during Muharram processions especially in this region of Uttar Pradesh in which groups of boys exhibit their skills.

Sources said the police have named five boys in their case while the other five are yet to be named.

When contacted, SP Kushinagar Lalit Kumar Singh said “an FIR has been lodged but nobody has been arrested”. He did not want to explain as to why the case was registered.

Kushinagar DM Lokesh M told The Indian Express that it was a small issue and the district administration is trying to sort it out. “These children were wearing those T-shirts and once it was pointed out, they removed it immediately,” he said. He said the police have not given him any report yet. He said that Kushinagar district is communally sensitive.

The family members of the boys were not ready to speak because of fear. A police team had already visited the village for investigation.

A village elder, Liyaqat Ali, said this case has created tension in the village. “These are foolish children. They are 11-, 12-year-old children. They had bought these T-shirts from a shop and the elders had no idea about it,” he said. “If the police had an objection to this, they should have explained this to the children. What was the need to register a case,” he said. “The police case has created tension in the village. We are unable to understand as to why police filed a case of sedition against these children.”

A local social activist, Shakir Ali, however, said the issue was being unnecessarily exaggerated. “These T-shirts are readily available with a local sports shop. A group of boys had picked these T-shirts so that they could wear them during the stick playing tradition during the Muharram procession,” he said. “They had done it without knowing that it would get them into trouble. Once someone pointed it out, they removed it immediately.” He said there is a lot of fear among the Muslim population in the village after this incident, especially after police filed the case. “How is wearing a T-shirt of a country that is readily available in a store here seditious?’’ he asked.

Sources said activists of Hindu Yuva Vahini burnt Pakistani flags at different places especially at Padrona Subash Chowk in the district on Wednesday and sought action against the boys.