ISLAMABAD  -  Friday was a tense day in the suburbs of the federal capital. The site of the Madni Masjid razed by Islamabad district administration a few days back for being on a greenbelt, was the central point of conflict with religious figures, and seminary students on one side and the city administration on the other. In a late-night operation on August 9 (Saturday), the city administration razed the facility for being an encroachment and the clerics, after days of protest, had given a call to the religious groups to reach the site on Friday for offering Juma prayers there and laying foundation stone of the mosque again, in defiance of the government will.

The students and the religious figures reached, cement blocks also started reaching there on trolleys but local police in large numbers were also there to disturb the proceedings. Just before the start of the Juma prayers, there was a brief clash between the police and the attendees. Police were deployed in large numbers along with prison vans. Not only Islamabad police but Elite Force personnel were also seen on the site with clerics vowing to rebuild the mosque near Rawal Dam on the Murree Road.

They warned that any government action would be strongly responded to. Later, the prayers were offered under the leadership of Mufti Owais Aziz, the Amir of JUI Islamabad. Clashes, however, started between the protesters and the police with police ultimately withdrawing from their positions before making a few arrests.

Members of religious groups, Wafaq-ul-Madaris representatives, and seminary students in large numbers quickly started raising makeshift structure from readily available, unconventional materials, intended for temporary use. Traffic also saw a brief suspension on both sides of the road.

The religio-political elements had given the government a 48-hour deadline to construct the mosque at the same site. Various religious groups on Monday protested against the demolition of the mosque in the federal capital. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) along with other groups held a protest at the site of the demolished Madni Mosque near Rawal Dam Chowk. The protesters also uprooted the saplings planted by the CDA on the site.

Mufti Owais Aziz believed the government was planning to raze 50 mosques in Islamabad and vowed to resist the move. He said the religious groups have unanimously agreed to get an FIR registered against Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and other officials under blasphemy laws. Later, an application was also filed with the Secretariat police station for registration of a case against the government high-ups.

Amid threats of violent protests by the clerics, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said spreading baseless rumours about madrassas and mosques was inappropriate. He said the Masjid on Murree Road was relocated with the consent of its administration.

Chairman Central Ulema Council Sahibzada Zahid Mahmood Qasimi strongly condemned the move, saying that the razing of the mosque was unbearable as he paid tribute to the scholars of Islamabad who re-laid the foundation of the Mosque.

The CDA says the attached seminary was relocated to a new Rs37 million-facility in Margalla Town under a January 2025 deal. The demolition of the mosque sparked protests from religious groups, students, and Wafaq-ul-Madaris, after authorities declared it illegal for being built on a greenbelt.

A list of 50 such mosques made rounds on social media in the recent days turning the situation further tense amid uncertainty about the future of the mosques. Madni Masjid was also demolished as part of the CDA’s crackdown on illegal buildings.

The mosque located near Rawal Dam on the Murree Road was deemed as encroachment by the administration and was taken down overnight. Though the administration took a step backward on the issue on Friday, any such attempt in future is likely to meet stiff resistance from religious groups.