Clashes in Pak’s Sindh over closure of shrine leave several injured

In Pakistan’s Sindh province, several people suffered injuries as clashes between the police and devotees broke out over the closure of the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan due to rising coronavirus cases.

The violent clashes on Thursday left scores injured and several motorcycles burnt, according to local media reports.

As per reports, there was a thin deployment of the police at the shrine as the relevant authorities appeared remiss that the gathering of tens of thousands of devotees in the small town could create a law and order situation.

During the clash, the mob broke down barriers and set on fire several vehicles, including motorcycles. This followed a free for all and soon a large group tore open the main door of the shrine to make their way inside.

As the coronavirus cases in Sindh increase, the provincial government has decided to shut down shrines across the province.

Earlier, the Sindh Government announced its decision to close all shrines and Dargahs in the province for 10 days while the annual Urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was cancelled in view of the third wave of COVID-19 in the country.

Sindh has reported over 266,000 coronavirus cases so far. The province has also reported 4,500 fatalities due to the infection.