News
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Karachi City Council divided over ‘Talibanisation’
* As some members call for a definition of the term, others say they support Umme Hassan
By Jamil Khan
KARACHI: Define the term ‘Talibanisation’ argued Opposition members in the City Council Monday as Treasury members remarked that it was spreading in Karachi at the cost of prosperity and development. It was important to define the word because much of this talk of Talibanization was just propaganda against the Pukhtoon community, the Opposition cautioned. As the proceedings were started, Al-Khidmat Group leader Rafiq Ahmed pointed out that just as the Sindh chief minister had said, there was no chance of Talibanization spreading in the city and it was just a wild guess. “Innocent people are being killed in Swat and other parts of the NWFP in the name of the ‘War on Terror’,” he commented, “and now this barbaric game is spreading to other parts of the country like Karachi?” Ahmed suggested that instead of fanning fears of Talibanization, the government should identify the real issue and avoiding creating unease among the citizens. Masood Mehmood of the Treasury quoted from recent interviews of local Taliban commanders from Swat and the tribal areas on how they had threatened revenge in any part of the country if the law enforcement agencies did not stop the operation against them. “Karachi is also a part of Pakistan and we are taking initiatives to inform the people as preemptive measures to ignore Talibanization in Karachi,” he said. He also referred to a recent visit from Umme Hassan, the wife of Lal Masjid Khatib Abdul Aziz, to different seminaries. He argued that she was not a leader and some people had arranged her visits with a hidden agenda. Opposition member Islamuddin argued, however, that he felt Umme Hassan was a custodian and supporter of innocent girls, acquiring a religious education at the Lal Masjid. “She is a citizen of this country and no one will be allowed to stop the movement of any citizen to any other part of the country. We are showing full support for her,” he said. The House, which has a majority of Haq Parast members (a group backed by the MQM), expressed resentment for these comments. One of its members suggested that the government should not ignore such a situation like an ostrich with its head in the sand. He recommended the House devote an exclusive session to this issue. At this point, convenor Nasreen Jalil gave a ruling, saying that as the House was divided along ideological lines, it should avoid any further discussion on such controversial matters. The Opposition’s Jumman Darwan argued that there was no Talibanization in the city but the recent recurrence of such remarks made the Pukhtoon of the city feel as if they were facing discrimination. “It was just propaganda and will damage the development process,” he argued. However, other members also pointed out that the influx of Taliban in the city will affect foreign investment and create anarchy. On another note, Arshad Qureshi of the Treasury, on a point of order, highlighted that even though the federal government had cleared the prices of CNG as Rs 43 some CNG stations in the city were still charging Rs 47.25. “The members of the Standing Committee took notice of this but no one showed any interest in implementing the government’s writ,” he said. Responding to such remarks, the ruling PPP-backed Awam Dost member Yousuf Naz said that the writ of the federal government was being discussed, but what about the writ of the city government which could not implement its own policy on milk sellers who were overcharging?
Courtesy Daily Times