Lahore: The main accused in the recent vandalism at the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province has been arrested and charged with a non-bailable section of the stringent anti-terrorism act and blasphemy, a senior police officer said Monday.
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Janam Asthan, is a site near this city where the first Guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak, was born.
The suspect, identified as Imran Chisti, is the elder brother of Mohammad Hassan who married a teenage Sikh girl in September last after allegedly abducting and converting her to Islam, triggering a controversy.
Chisti, a government employee working in the Fisheries Department, was arrested Sunday for his role in the violent incident at the Nankana police station inspector Muhammad Jamil told informed Monday.
“We have arrested Imran Chishti, a government employee, under terrorism and blasphemy charges. He has been booked under sections 295A, 290, 291, 341,506, 148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code and 7-ATA (anti-terrorism act),” the officer said.
According to the FIR, Chishti incited a mob Friday in the name of religion and threatened to destroy a worship place of a minority community (Gurdwara Janam Asthan) to build a shrine there.
“The suspect incited the sentiments of Muslims in order to have settled his family issue and created a law and order situation in the Nankana city,” the FIR said.
A large number of people, led by Chishti held Friday a day-long sit-in outside Gurdwara Janam Asthan against the alleged police harassment and arrest of their family members over the abduction and conversion issue. He also vowed to build a Muslim shrine in the place of the Gurdwara.
Police officer Jamil said that Chishti had deliberately misled Muslims in the area against the Sikhs. He also said police patrolling has been increased around all the holy places of the Sikhs in Nankana Sahib.
The arrest of Chishti came after Prime Minister Imran Khan broke his silence Sunday on the incident and said it goes against his ‘vision’ and the government will show ‘zero tolerance’ against those involved in it.
PTI