ISLAMABAD - The prayer leaders in the Islamabad mosques have expressed their apprehensions over the way the law enforcement agencies have been dealing with the issue of use of loudspeakers at the local mosques as the authorities are coming harder on the violators with each passing day.
A delegation of local religious scholars called on the assistant commissioner (city) the other day to record their apprehensions as the local police picked some 7-8 prayer leaders from their houses in the wee hours of Tuesday over the misuse of loudspeaker. “They were not even allowed to wear shoes… they are not terrorists. They are employees of Auqaf Department and can run nowhere,” said Muhammad Omer, Chairman Masjid Committee Tayyaba Masjid G-7 Islamabad as he led a 10-member prayer leaders’ delegation to the AC office to record their grievances.
Talking to The Nation, he said that the law enforcement agencies were creating panic amongst the Ulema for nothing. The government gave no warning to the prayer leaders prior to the action as was practiced in the past, Omer said. “Even Auqaf department could serve notice to the violators of the ban on using amplifier”, he added. He said if the authorities did not resolve the issue amicably, they will approach the Chief Commissioner to record their protest.
The police later produced the nabbed prayer leaders in the court of the Assistant Commissioner which fixed April 20 as next date of hearing before ordering release of the accused on bail. The government has imposed ban on the use of loudspeakers in mosques except for Friday sermon and in the past few days, dozens of prayers leaders have been booked by the police under amplifier act.