Jamaat collected dollars from AmericaANP leader Bashir Bilour was quoted in Khabrain as saying that the Jamaat Islami declared that the Afghan war was jihad for the sake of serving America. It collected dollars and got the Pakhtuns killed. Had the clerics not sided with America in its war against the Soviet Union, the blood of the Muslims would not have flowed later on. He said that simple Pashtuns were made sacrificial lambs.
Gates of Paradise open in Pakpattan
According to Khabrain, the Gates of Paradise at the shrine of Baba Farid in Pakpattan were opened on the urs of the saint and 100,000 people passed through them each night. In Pakpattan, the place where the saint and poet Baba Farid lived, people lined up for miles to be able to pass through the Gates. Every year there is bhagdar (stampede) which kills people but this year there was mo bhagdar.
Politicians without issues
Ex-speaker National Assembly Sahibzada Farooq Ali Khan wrote in the daily Pakistan that after 1988, Ms Benazir Bhutto forgot the party ideology and fought elections on the simple fact that she was the daughter of a hanged prime minister. She did not put before the nation the ideas in which the party had believed. In the end, both Nawaz Sharif and Ms Bhutto had the same political vision. In Pakistan most politicians were of small stature but came to power through the patronage of the generals.
DonÂ’t stay long, Bush!
Sarerahe stated in Nawa-e-Waqt that President Bush was going to be three days in India but a few hours in Pakistan. In Pakistan only those who specialise in welcoming VIPs will welcome Bush since the rest of the nation would think it a major sin (gunah kabira) to say welcome to him. In fact, he should curtail his visit to three hours to claim half of what President Clinton stayed for when he visited Pakistan.
Fake Imam Mehdi makes victory sign
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, the fake Imam Mehdi who made his appearance in Faisalabad in December 2005 was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism judge of Faisalabad. When he heard the sentence, fake Imam Mehdi Shehbaz Ahmad said he was enjoying the sentence (anjwae kar raha hun). His followers were given life sentences. One fainted after hearing the sentence. According to Khabrain the fake Imam also made the victory sign. The followers said that Shehbaz was their owner and they could not abandon him as that would make them sinners before God.
An assessment of the economy
Columnist Irfan Siddiqi challenged the claims of the government in Nawa-e-Waqt that Pakistan was progressing economically. His assessment went like this: ‘The tradition of wearing white clothes (safed-poshi) was losing its image. Starvation (faqa-kashi) was a common sight. The trend to commit suicide had increased. The middle class was being wiped out. The cobra (shish-nag) of poverty was snarling. Unemployment was on the rise. The whiplashes of high prices were raining on the bare backs of the people. And yet in spite of all this the economy was supposed to have reached its acme (bam-e-uruj) in stability.
India permanent foe
Writing in the Jang, Mukhtar Ahmad Butt stated that Pakistan had to deal with a neighbour that never accepted it from its heart. India always tried to harm Pakistan in one way or another. It responded to PakistanÂ’s efforts at establishing friendly relations with obstinacy and procrastination. Kashmir was the living example of IndiaÂ’s policy of hostility towards Pakistan.
Pakpattan no paradise at all!
Writing in the Jang, columnist Rehmat Ali Razi stated that Pakpattan, where the Gates of Paradise opened on every urs of Baba Farid, was no paradise. The city of 150,000 had hardly any roads which were intact. The load of the additional population of visiting devotees (100,000) paralysed the city with all roads blocked. The only two hotels closed down because no one could get to them as roads filled up with filth. The city had no garbage collection but when the visitors of Paradise arrived, filth accumulated on the streets which ran with the urine of the devotees. When the devotees filed through the Gateway to Heaven they brought excrement and urine with their feet which then clung to the tomb of Baba Farid.
Punish insulters of all prophets!
Daily Pakistan quoted PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as saying that Europe and the West should pass a law punishing insulters of all prophets including Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). If the West did not do this then more insult published in Europe would lead to disastrous consequences.
Insulting cartoons avenged in Mandi Bahauddin
Reported in the Jang, mobs in Mandi Bahauddin came out beating their breasts and hurling stones at passing trains and burning tyres in the streets of the city. The mobs also cried in pain on the insult of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in Europe and burnt cars while breaking the windshields of many. They also wept profusely and stoned all public buildings while breaking glass at the petrol pump stations. Sensing the success of the mobs in Mandi Bahauddin, the political opposition announced an all-party day of protest on 3 March 2006. Meanwhile every party would hold aggressive rallies throughout the month of February to mark Islamic grief at the insult of the Prophet (pbuh) in Europe through the publication of cartoons. Opposition also demanded that ambassadors of all offending European countries be sent packing and Pakistan embassies removed from there.
Pindi Bhattian up in arms after Quran desecration
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, in Pindi Bhattian people were outraged to find pages of the Holy Quran in the street. They took out an angry procession and went to the police station. The police at once took the pages in its control and registered a case. But the people were not satisfied as they wanted to burn public property to express their grief. The clerics warned from the mosques that if the culprits were not caught the people would destroy public property.
Ijazul HaqÂ’s recipe
Religion minister Ijazul Haq stated in the daily Din that if Pakistan and other Islamic states were to snap relations with the European countries that had offended by publishing insulting cartoons, then the offending states would suffer economically and will pledge never to insult the Muslims again by publishing cartoons.
‘Sardar Qayyum got me to Israel’!
Quoted in Khabrain Maulana Ajmal Qadiri said that he had contacts with Israel which were helped by the Azad Kashmiri leader Sardar Qayyum. He said America had finalised its plans to attack Iran. He added that he was ready once again to go to Israel to further consolidate his contacts there.
Old leaders and new
Ex-speaker of the National Assembly, Sahibzada Farooq Ali Khan, wrote in the daily Pakistan that old leaders like Liaquat Ali Khan, Suhrawardi, Khwaja Nazimuddin, II Chundrigar and Muhammad Ali Bogra made their departure from politics without enriching their families. The daughter of Suhrawardi had to be given a stipend by the government. The new leaders were different. Ayub Khan was followed by his rich son Gauhar Ayub. Zia was followed by his rich son Ijazul Haq. Bhutto was followed by Benazir and Nawaz SharifÂ’s family was now powerful because of the wealth of being in power.