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Nuggets from the Urdu press
Pak Political Parties
Poet Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi wrote in Jang that five Muslim Leagues have joined up but fears are that they will again be separated by their leaders because some of them are saying the merger is actually alliance. On the other hand, the JUI has split in the past to (F) and (S) but inside the MMA the (S) party is threatening to leave. Similarly Jamiat Ulema-a-Pakistan or JUP used to be Noorani and Niazi. Jamaat Islami was indeed united but its stand on General Musharraf was not so sincere given the fact that it had joined General Zia’s government without asking him to take off the uniform.

Fate of Women’s commission
Poetess Kishwar Naheed wrote in Jang that a Women’s Commission was set up in Islamabad four years ago and made permanent. Its chairperson was a lady whose statements were not liked by Pakistan’s feudal leadership. She was threatened over the phone and warned against making any recommendations against the draconian laws against women in Pakistan. She was finally threatened with the abduction of her young daughter, after which she took her daughter and ran away to Canada. After that for some time no one was appointed chairperson, Then Karachi’s respectable judge Justice Majida Rizvi was appointed and the Commission began its work. It has now recommended the repeal of Hudood Laws, two only out of 16 members dissenting, including chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology. There were 430 women in Karachi jail from all over Sindh because women don’t have the right to being witnesses. A similar number are jailed in Multan along with their children after being raped because they couldn’t bring four witnesses to prove the act.

Fazl brothers called ’thief’ in assembly
According to Jang, a member of the NWFP assembly Hafizullah Alizai used indecent language against JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his brother after which there was uproar in the house. The opposition agreed to apologise on his behalf and he himself later apologised to the ruling party, after which the speaker of the house erased the word thief from the record.

Maulana declares war against Jews and Christians
According to Nawa-e-Waqt, Maulana Samiul Haq leader of JUI(S) said in Akora Khatak that the Muslims were suffering from the atrocities of Jews and Christians. They had been targeted especially in their madrasahs therefore he stood up and declared jihad against the aggressive Jews and Christians of the world.

Actress acquitted of obscenity
According to Nawa-e-Waqt actress Khushboo was allowed to go free after the Lahore High Court discovered that charges against her of fahashi were without any proof. The organisation that alleged that she had danced in an obscene manner at Naz theatre and had spoken obscene words could not prove the charge and was not able to bring a single witness. Actress Khushboo had gone to court to get the case against her squashed, but the police had registered the case without a prima facie ground. The court did not award costs.

Is hunger strike against Islam?
Columnist Farooq Alam Ansari wrote in daily Din that after the religious alliance MMA decided that it would sit in the hunger strike camp against the LFO in Islamabad two cleric members Rehmatullah Khalil and Qari Fayyaz Rehman decided that it was against the edicts of Islam to go on hunger strike and therefore they would not go without food. They also said that since shariah was not enforced in Pakistan it was not yet incumbent on them to act in the light of Islamic faith. After seeing that all the great leaders of the MMA were in the hunger strike camp the columnist wondered whether Qari Fayyaz Rehman was not adhering to the faith of eating well prevalent in the city of Gujranwala which he represented.

Insulter of Quran dies
According to Nawa-e-Waqt one Nasima Bibi of Shadbagh who was accused of insulting the Quran died in jail in Lahore after being bailed out by the High Court in June with Rs 50,000 bond for her and her two sons who were also arrested. No one came forward to stand bail for them and the mother died. The sons then prayed to the court that they be allowed to leave and bury their mother as no one was willing to stand bail for them. They said their mother was wrongfully accused by a man to get hod of her house. She was a God-fearing person and could not think of insulting the Quran. The court let the sons below 18 years of age go on a bail of Rs 5,000.

No plucking, please!
According to Khabrain, women were greatly divided over whether women should pluck their facial hair. The religious ones said that those who plucked their eyebrows suffered the wrath of Allah. They could cut their hair on the head only in case of disease otherwise cutting hair was a great sin. Some women said that there should be ijtehad (rethinking) over make-up as most of the ingredients of modern make-up did not exist in ancient times. A beautician said that make-up was Islamic but a maulavi said it was banned.
Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-10-31
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=20594