AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Leaders of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Pakistan have called on federal and provincial authorities to ensure comprehensive security and civic arrangements ahead of Arbaeen commemorations, while condemning what they described as restrictions on religious practices and expressing concern over recent developments in Iraq.
Addressing a press conference at the party's provincial secretariat in Karachi, MWM Central Vice Chairman Allama Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi said Pakistan's Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to religious freedom, and stressed that mourning for Imam Hussain (A.S) is a constitutional, legal, and religious right.
He alleged that banned and extremist groups were attempting to disrupt peace in interior Sindh ahead of Arbaeen and urged the authorities to take immediate action against such elements. Rizvi said MWM would not tolerate any obstacles to religious gatherings and expressed confidence that this year's Arbaeen commemorations would be observed with greater devotion and participation than before. He added that hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to take part in the central Arbaeen procession and religious gatherings in Karachi.
Rizvi also called on the Sindh government and the Karachi administration to complete all security and municipal arrangements before the main Arbaeen procession to facilitate participants.
Turning to Punjab, he criticized what he described as restrictions on mourning processions and religious gatherings, demanding the removal of limitations on Majalis and processions. He also called for the release of detained mourners and urged authorities to stop using the Fourth Schedule against participants in religious activities, arguing that the law was originally intended for individuals involved in anti-state activities rather than mourners. He further demanded an end to the practice of requiring surety bonds and issuing detention threats related to religious gatherings.
Speaking at the same press conference, MWM Sindh General Secretary Allama Mubashir Hassan, Political Secretary Muhammad Mian Zaidi, Kazim Abbas, and Ali Nair echoed these concerns. They alleged that mourning-related activities in Punjab were increasingly being treated as criminal acts and criticized what they described as administrative pressure on participants in Arbaeen walks. The leaders reiterated that Pakistan's Constitution guarantees religious freedom and claimed that followers of the school of thought associated with Pakistan's founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, were facing unfair treatment.
The MWM leaders also condemned what they described as attacks by "Zionist forces" on Iraqi resistance groups, mosques, unarmed pilgrims, and the holy city of Karbala ahead of Arbaeen. They said such actions were unacceptable and called on the Government of Pakistan to raise the issue through diplomatic channels. Emphasizing the religious significance of Karbala, they said the city symbolizes freedom, justice, and resistance against oppression, and urged the government to take immediate diplomatic notice of the situation concerning pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of Imam Hussain (A.S).
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