A press conference and sumptuous lunch was laid on for journalists. However, the madrasa, mosque, and other facilities remained out of bounds, and once the official tour was over the media were no longer welcome. Although the group had said anyone was welcome to look around the site at any time, the Guardian’s attempt to take up this offer after the tour was met with a heavy-handed response: burly young men arrived on motorcycles and circled, demanding that we leave…
Certainly there were plain-clothed officials present, who said they were members of “special branch” – often a euphemism for the Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency. They wanted to provide an armed escort back to Lahore, but why intelligence agents were there – and why an escort might be necessary – was unclear. Muridke is not in a dangerous part of Pakistan, and the offer was declined.
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