Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine to reopen after security arrangements

KARACHI: Silent in mourning, the street where the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is located has only security personnel patrolling around, while the shrine itself was closed for public.

According to security sources, the shrine will be reopened once security measures are in place. Police had demanded from Auqaf department officials to install walk-through gates at the shrine — which has been done at the entrance gate — while a room should also be set up for female security officials to search women before they go inside. The room to search women for security has been emphasised upon because the suicide attacker was wearing a burqa, according to initial reports. 

A heavy contingent of police is guarding the area. Not only are the personnel of Sehwan deployed there, but police force from Sahiwal has also been called in.
However, the closed gates are furthering the grief of locals who have been sporadically protesting outside the shrine, demanding to be let in.

While visiting Sehwan — city where the shrine is located — Friday morning, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said shrines should not be closed as doing so would strengthen terrorists.  

Although it rattles with the noise of the security personnel's boots or equipment of investigation teams, the shrine otherwise is always alive with people coming in and going out. Its most frequent visitors are the mutawallees, people who take care of the shrine. Besides, the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is also an everyday abode to some. But with it being closed down, they have been left on the roadsides, under the open sky.  

Surrounding guest houses

The investigation into the incident has also revealed there are around 100 unregistered guest houses in the vicinity of the shrine. It has also been found out that people managing the guest houses do not even keep a copy of the visitors' identity cards for future reference, for security.