Daily Times

Karachi: Sindh government has handed over Sehwan attack case from the anti-terrorism court to a military court.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the investigation officer requested the court to stop case proceedings, since the provincial government had decided to approach a military court for a rapid trial. The court has ordered IG Sindh, DG Rangers and Interior Ministry to advise on the matter.

The shrine in Sehwan, which is the resting place of the Sufi mystic and revered religious elder LalShahbazQalandar, was attacked in February 2017.

At least 85 people were killed, and more than 300 others injured when a suicide bomber launched a grenade before blowing himself up at the shrine. The police suspected that a man named Nadir Ali Jaghrani, who belongs to a banned outfit, was the facilitator of the attackers.

The shrine, located in Sehwan Sharif, attracts up to a million visitors annually. The bombing claimed by Da’ish was an attempt by militants to silence moderate and tolerant voices and to instil fear in the public.

The explosion took place as devotees were gathering to perform dhamaal – a practice of whirling performed by devotees to honour Sufi saints in a state of elation in response to music.

Published in Daily Times, March 15^th 2018.