Pakistani Islamic scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri’s reported remarks advising Muslims to forget the Gujarat riots have sparked a row with some Muslim organisations opposing his ongoing visit to Hyderabad. Police have stepped up security for Qadri, who arrived in Hyderabad for a five-day trip amid criticism from Jamiat-ul-Ulema and others for his remarks during a visit to Gujarat a week ago. The scholar, while addressing a meeting at Vadodara in Gujarat on Feb. 25, reportedly advised Indian Muslims to forget the Gujarat carnage and move on.
He also thanked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for providing him with security. Qadri, who faces threat to his life in Pakistan, mostly lives in the West. He is on a visit to India till March 18 and will address religious meetings in Ajmer, Mumbai, Raipur and Bangalore. He has a considerable following among adherents of the Sufi and Barelvi schools of thought. Moulana Naseeruddin, a leading cleric who was arrested and jailed by Gujarat Police, alleged that Qadri was adding insult to the injury of Muslims by asking them to forget the massacre.