Mehdi Bhatti wins ‘mubahila’Reported by the daily Pakistan, MNA Mehdi Hassan Bhatti went to a mosque in Hafizabad to challenge ex-nazim Col Ali Ahmad Awan, who had accused him of massive corruption, to mubahila (a match of mutual religious abuse in which the false party dies). Mr Bhatti had gone with his son, the Punjab minister for culture Shaukat Ali Bhatti, and had asked Col Ali Ahmad to bring along his son too, so that the sons may die along with their fathers after being proved false. The ex-nazim Col Awan did not turn up. So Mr Bhatti won the mubahila and was proved free of corruption.
Pervaiz Elahi as PM?
Writing in the Jang, Hamid Mir said that in the 2005 local polls, the supporters of prime minister Shaukat Aziz have been defeated: Jehangir Tareen, Owais Leghari and Riaz Pirzada. When the time comes for the 2007 national election, Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi will be the strongest candidate for the job of prime minister. In the opposition, the MMA and the ARD are already scattering. In the coming days the ANP will join up with Jamaat Islami, Imran Khan’s Tehreek Insaf and Muslim League (N) to challenge the Chaudhrys in power.
Shabana gets out of hand in Norway
According to Khabrain, Pakistani expatriate lady Shabana Rehman got out of hand in Norway and was having her nearly naked photos published local magazines. She was also given to insulting the most respectable clerics who often went from Pakistan to spread Islam among Pakistanis living there. She would come clad in a burqa then suddenly take it off in the meeting and insult the clerics. She was so rude to them that Norway gave her an award for being so outspoken. She thanked the mullahs for abusing her because that made her deserving of the award. Shabana went and embraced the most infamous mullah called Mullah Krekar, the Kurd terrorist now sheltering in Norway. The Pakistanis were most offended by Shabana but could not do much. She was from Karachi where she had relatives. One boy admitted that he had fired his pistol in front of Shabana’s house in Norway.
Deoband abuses the Quaid again!
Quoted in the Nawa-e-Waqt, Dr Justice (Retd) Javid Iqbal stated that he was most offended by the recent statement of the administrative head of a Deoband seminary in India that the Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah was not a Muslim. He said Deoband had in the past also apostatised Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Allama Iqbal, which was unacceptable to Pakistan. He said that the clerics of Deoband had not accepted Pakistan and had joined the Hindu Congress, so it was not surprising that today Deoband had once again abused the Quaid. He added that it was for nothing that Allama Iqbal had written a poem against the Deobandi leader Hussain Ahmad Madni. Deobandi chief Maulana Marghubur Rehman said in India that far from being a secular person, Jinnah was not even a Muslim because he never said namaz and he drank alcohol. Indian cleric Marghub later wrote in to deny that he had said anything against the Quaid.
Faraz on sex
Sarerahe in the Nawa-e-Waqt said that Ahmad Faraz had said while on a trip abroad that marriage was the most expensive institution for gaining sexual pleasure. Even if sex was not available in a marriage, one had to pay for it. He said that religion and progress were opposed to each other. He also said that all prophets were first-rate politicians. The column added that Ahmad Faraz was the son of Maulana Abdullah Kohati who was in turn the khalifa (pupil) of the famous sufi, Syed Adam Banuri whose tomb was visited by all and sundry even today.
Dawood Ibrahim is not in Pakistan!
According to Khabrain, India had asked Pakistan to surrender two criminals wanted in India. One was Dawood Ibrahim who could not leave Pakistan to attend his son’s wedding in Dubai. The foreign office in Islamabad replied that Dawood Ibrahim was not in Pakistan. The other criminal India wanted was Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of the banned Jaish Muhammad who was sprung from an Indian jail by hijackers in 1999.
Rs 27 billion to madrassas annually
Writing in the Nawa-e-Waqt, Irfan Siddiqi stated that people who wanted to give to charity obeyed the Islamic edict that charity should be given anonymously. The madrassas in Pakistan received Rs 27 billion every year. Can the government now ask the madrassas to give account and will it send the cases against the donors to NAB?
More blasphemy from Salman Rushdie
According to Khabrain, mal’oon Salman Rushdie in his new book Shalimar the Clown was now saying that the Quran should be accepted as a historical document instead of a holy book. Rushdie, 30 years ago, was a poor man who would eat a meal within three rupees, would not take a bath and would drink cheap wine and was known to stink from his body. He also ate pig and thought dirty thoughts.
Multan clamps down on actresses
According to the daily Pakistan, the Multan cultural vigilance committee had served notices to Aliza (Dawn Theatre), to Niha (Khayyam Theatre), to Anita (Starlet Theatre) and to Anila (Sangam Theatre) for violating the ‘charter of decency.’ They were asked to present themselves at the office of DDO Multan city to clarify their position. Another actress, Nida (Khayyam Theatre), was served a last warning after which she would be banned in the whole of the Punjab. She was famous through her CDs too.
How Zubaida Begum was killed
Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in the Jang that Zubaida Begum of Dir Bala in the NWFP stood for her union council election in 2001 and was elected unopposed despite reservations from the elders. She was a teacher and a social worker and was quite popular with the women. She organised the local women and was able to improve the roads and sanitary conditions of her constituency. In 2005, she was popular enough to fight the district nazim election but the elders warned her against taking part. She did not obey them and was gunned down in July 2005 along with her daughter.