Ice cream was better optionReported in Khabrain, the Allama Iqbal Town explosion that destroyed three buildings and killed 29 was witness to strange behaviour among the local people. The truck unloading the gas cylinders went many feet up in the air when the cylinders exploded. All around the buildings property was destroyed including one truck loaded with ice cream. People went for the ice cream and started gorging themselves as people buried under the debris kept pleading with them to rescue them. As they ate ice cream they noted that a copy of the Quran was miraculously recovered undamaged from the debris.
Wasim Akram in ‘trubbel’
Reported in Khabrain, Wasim Akram allowed someone to put red colour on his forehead during his visit to his father’s birthplace in a village in Amritsar in India. The reaction of the ulema in Pakistan was recorded to put Wasim Akram in trouble. Jamaat Islami leader and MNA Abdul Malik said that Wasim Akram had become an apostate after accepting a Hindu tilak on his forehead. Maulana Sarfraz Naeemi said that Wasim Akram had wounded the hearts of the Muslims by letting Hindus put a tilak on his forehead. Ahle Hadith leader Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer said that Wasim Akram had given a chance of shuddi (reconversion) to the Hindus.
Al Qaeda agent caught in Karachi
Daily Pakistan reported that one Sirajul Haq was caught from a madrasa in Malir Karachi on reports from Afghanistan. Sirajul Haq was an Al Qaeda gent who had killed Afghan commander Abdul Haq on the orders Osama bin Laden.
Al Qaeda bans music in Waziristan
Reported in Jang, pamphlets issued by Al Qaeda told the shops and hotels of Miran Shah in North Waziristan that all video and audio cassettes should be destroyed and those who showed pictures and played music after five days would be dealt with.
Importing vegetables from India
Columnist Abdul Qadir Hassan wrote in Jang that the latest action by a banker prime minister to import vegetables from India was not only a bad decision undermining the agriculture of Punjab but was also a badge of dishonour. India had heavily subsidised its agriculture and was forcing Pakistan to open trade to undermine Pakistan’s farmers. It was a great dishonour to be thus surrendering to India. It was a tilak of kalank (dishonour) which was recently put on his forehead by a cricketer (Wasim Akram) when he visited his village in India.
The great ‘shutarmurgh’ fraud in Fort Abbas
Reported in Khabrain, the people of Fort Abbas complained that a company of Okara sold them small ostrich birds for 8,000 and took them back after three months for 18,000. The business caught on and the inhabitants of the city bought 60 lakhs worth of baby shutarmurgh, but after a few moths the company disappeared and the buyers were left with dead birds. The birds were said to be imported from Canada and they fell sick after being subjected to cold weather on the way. The birds were okay at the time of buying but sickened and died within three months.
‘India, get ready for nuclear war!’
According to Nawa-e-Waqt Mr Majid Nizami said at Hamdard Hall Lahore that Pakistan should tell India to either hold a plebiscite in Kashmir or get ready for nuclear war. He said that those who did not tire of talking about the ‘core issue’ were now talking about everything except Kashmir. He said basant had been accepted by them; now they were also celebrating holi and diwali.
American-Pakistani cleric’s wisdom
Reported in daily Pakistan, America-based cleric Maulana Zakiuddin Sharafi said in Lahore that the religious parties should not quarrel over democracy but tend to the spread of an Islamic system. He said if the clergy compromised with the government on some matters many problems would be solved. He said sectarianism was a fearful problem and was spread by Americans and the Jews. He said marathon and basant was also their doing. Cutting back on armament on the recommendation of a foreign power was against Islam. He said that in America some crazy groups had stepped outside the pale of Islam while accepting imamat of women. He said in America 90 percent Muslims were getting coloured by local culture but they were unhappy after 9/11. He said difference between jihad and qitaal should be maintained.
Mammoth meeting of sobs
Reported in Khabrain a mammoth meeting of Dawat Islami (Green Turbans) Islamabad ended in sobs as those who attended raised laments about their bad faith and begged for forgiveness from Allah. Half a million Barelvi Muslims gathered in the capital city and heard sermons which told them that Muslims had forsaken their true goal and had forgotten the care of the Hereafter. The sermons also told them that they should not follow Yuhud-o-Nisara (Jews and Hindus). The atmosphere was extremely spiritual, according to the newspaper.
Girl can marry at 15
Daily Pakistan reported that the Lahore High Court let off a man for marrying a girl of 15, holding that a Muslim girl could marry at less than 15 if she had attained puberty. The court said it was not happy about girls marrying after running away from home.