If we practice Islam's true teachings, terrorism would automatically end.
In the city of Sukkur, as Ramzan approached with its crowded prayers and bustling bazaars, the Senior Superintendent of Police convened religious scholars and clerics to forge an alliance older than any surveillance system — the bond between moral authority and civic order. SSP Sanghaar Malik asked the Ulema to wield their spiritual influence as a preventive force, treating Islamic teachings of unity and tolerance as a bulwark against the conditions that give rise to violence. Alongside this appeal to conscience, CCTV cameras and enhanced patrols were positioned at mosques and markets, weaving together the ancient and the technological in a shared effort to protect a holy month.
- Ramzan's convergence of mass gatherings, evening prayers, and crowded shopping districts creates a heightened window of vulnerability that demands coordinated action.
- The police chief placed an unusual burden on religious leaders — asking them to treat their sermons as instruments of crime prevention, not merely spiritual guidance.
- CCTV cameras installed at major mosques and public spaces signal that trust in moral authority alone is not considered sufficient; the state's watchful eye runs parallel to the cleric's voice.
- Intensified patrols are planned for Taraveeh prayers and the final ten days of Ramzan, when foot traffic and religious observance reach their peak.
- The District Peace Committee meeting frames community-police cooperation not as a concession but as a deliberate strategy — religious cohesion and technological surveillance treated as complementary, not competing, forces.
As Ramzan approached, Sukkur's Senior Superintendent of Police Sanghaar Malik convened the District Peace Committee on a Friday, gathering Ulema from across the Islamic spectrum to address a shared challenge: keeping the community safe and unified through a month of heightened religious observance and crowded public spaces.
Malik's appeal to the assembled scholars was both practical and philosophical. He asked them to use their standing in their communities to reinforce Islam's teachings of unity, brotherhood, and tolerance — arguing that if these values were actively cultivated, the conditions that breed terrorism and crime would find less purchase. It was a call to treat religious instruction as prevention, a form of social inoculation against violence.
The police chief recognized what the room already knew — that religious leaders had long been anchors of neighborhood stability. He was asking them to lean into that role during a month when mosques would overflow and bazaars would bustle with Ramzan shoppers.
Technology ran alongside this appeal to moral authority. CCTV cameras had been installed at major mosques and prominent locations across the city, providing both deterrence and accountability. Security arrangements would be layered: police presence during Namaz-e-Taraveeh each evening, and intensified patrols through the final ten days of the month in shopping districts.
The meeting embodied a particular vision of public safety — one in which a cleric urging tolerance and a camera recording a street corner are understood as partners rather than substitutes. Whether that partnership would prove effective remained an open question, but the framework was set: faith and technology, working in parallel through the holy month.
In Sukkur, the city's top police official gathered with religious leaders from across the Islamic spectrum to discuss a shared challenge: how to keep the community safe and unified during Ramzan. Senior Superintendent of Police Sanghaar Malik convened the District Peace Committee on a Friday, bringing together Ulema—Islamic scholars and clerics—to map out a strategy that relied on both spiritual authority and practical security.
Malik's pitch to the assembled religious leaders was direct. He asked them to use their influence in their communities to emphasize Islam's core teachings: unity, brotherhood, affinity, and tolerance. The implicit argument was that if these values took root, the conditions that breed terrorism and crime would wither. It was a call to treat religious instruction as a form of prevention, a way to inoculate society against violence before it took hold.
The police chief acknowledged what many in the room already knew—that religious leaders had historically played a vital role in maintaining peace and stability in their neighborhoods. He was asking them to lean into that role during the month ahead, when Ramzan would bring heightened religious observance, crowded prayers, and increased foot traffic in bazaars and shopping districts.
Alongside this appeal to moral authority, the police department was deploying technology. CCTV cameras had been installed at major mosques and other prominent locations throughout the city. The logic was straightforward: if something went wrong, the cameras would provide a record. Investigators could identify perpetrators and trace their movements. It was a form of deterrence and accountability rolled into one.
Security arrangements for the month would be layered. During Namaz-e-Taraveeh—the special evening prayers unique to Ramzan—police would maintain a visible presence. The final ten days of the month, known as the last Ashra, would see intensified patrols in bazaars and shopping centers. Malik wanted people to feel secure enough to move through these spaces freely, to shop and pray without fear.
The meeting represented a particular approach to public safety: one that treated religious leaders not as obstacles to be managed but as partners in maintaining order. It assumed that spiritual authority and police authority could work in tandem, that a cleric's voice urging tolerance could be as important as a camera recording a crime. Whether that partnership would hold, and whether the combination of religious messaging and surveillance would actually reduce violence during the month, remained to be seen. But the framework was in place: faith and technology, working in parallel.
Notable Quotes
Religious leaders have always rendered invaluable services for maintenance of peace and tranquility in society.— SSP Sanghaar Malik
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why bring the Ulema into a security meeting? Isn't that the police's job?
Because the police can't be everywhere, and they can't change hearts. A cleric can reach people in ways a uniform can't. If someone is thinking about violence, a respected religious voice saying "this isn't Islam" might matter more than a camera.
But does that actually work? Can a speech about unity stop terrorism?
Probably not by itself. But the police chief seemed to believe that if people genuinely practiced what Islam teaches, the conditions for violence would disappear. It's a long-term bet, not a quick fix.
What about the cameras? That seems like the real security.
The cameras are the backup plan. They deter some people and help catch others. But they're reactive—they record what already happened. The Ulema are supposed to be preventive, to stop it before it starts.
So this is about layering different kinds of authority?
Exactly. Spiritual authority, police authority, and technological surveillance all working together. Whether they actually reinforce each other or just create the appearance of a plan—that's the real question.