People protest bombing of Rahman Baba shrine

PESHAWAR: A large number of angry villagers of Bahader Killay, Garhi Qamardin, Hazarkhwani and other towns Friday held protest demo against blowing up of the shrine of the most revered Pashto sufi poet, Rahman Baba.The demonstrators marched on Ring Road where they also staged a rally. The speakers demanded immediate arrest of the culprits behind the worst act of terrorism at the mausoleum of the most popular and loved Pashto poet.An elder, Noor Ali Shah Bacha, lashed at the government, saying it had failed to provide security to the public and public places. He said a group of people had been left to play havoc with the ‘cultural treasures’ of Pakhtuns. The elder argued that not a single person has any disagreement with the sayings of Rahman Baba who always spoke for peace and love.Hidayatullah, Nazim Union Council Hazarkhwani-I, urged the government to arrest the attackers forthwith. He said they would convene a Momand-Khalil jirga to take up the issue and evolve a future strategy. He termed the coward act a conspiracy against Pakhtun culture and traditions.Habib Gul, a villager while talking to The News, said the miscreants not only damaged the mausoleum but also attempted to suppress the universal message of love and peace of Rahman Baba.Naeem Jan said the government was never serious about arresting the gangsters who had been destroying the shrines in the name of Islam. He was quick to comment that they had received threats from unknown people that they would destroy the shrine. He added that suspected elements were against the visits of women to the shrine.Nawaz Ali, a banker present at the complex, said Rehman Baba had been equally respected in four provinces of the country and the rest of the world where Pakhtuns had settled because of his poetry and the message that he left for the people. He said nobody had the right to bar women from visiting the mausoleum.