Jama’at-MQM cultural clash in offing

The Friday Times
July 4-10, 03
Mazhar Abbas
MQM has vowed to prevent JI-dominated city government from effecting retrogressive legislation

THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF KARACHI dominated by the Jama’at-e Islami (JI) is headed for a clash with the Sindh government, especially the secular-ethnic Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The row is essentially cultural with the JI trying to Islamise Karachi and the MQM vowing to defend the city against the obscurantist excesses of JI.

The city government has proposed to legislate a ban on hoardings that carry the pictures of women models. The proposal for the law came last week as JI candidate Aslam Mujahid lost the by-election in NA-255 to MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar by a huge margin of over 50,000 votes.

The proposed law is unlikely to be approved by the provincial government dominated by the MQM and the Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad will certainly strike it down, but the city government is bent upon making the ban stick in areas under its jurisdiction and remains relentless on the issue.

“ We have already been issued directives not to allow any hoardings, which show women, in areas under the jurisdiction of the city government,” a source in KMC told TFT. Interestingly, no sooner was the resolution moved by the JI member passed by the City Council then some incidents of defacing the billboards were reported.

The move came about a month after activists of JI’s youth wing Shabab-i-Milli damaged dozens of such signboards in Peshawar, the capital city of the NWFP. The MQM, however, has vowed to defend Karachi’s culture and said it would resist the move by Naimatullah Khan, the city Nazim and a JI leader.

“We won’t allow anyone to change the city’s culture in the name of Islam,” MQM leader and provincial minister Shoaib Bokhari told TFT. Only last week the MQM celebrated its victory over JI in the city by-election with self-exiled party chief Altaf Hussain terming it the defeat of religious extremism.

In the past, too, JI youth groups have resorted to such vigilante action – attacking and defacing billboards and hoardings – but this time it is different. The legislation makes the billboards and hoardings carrying women’s pictures illegal. Despite Jama’at’s apparent shift in its anti-Indian policy – they hosted a reception in honour of the visiting Indian Parliamentarians – they intend to bring some “cultural changes” in this commercial hub of Pakistan.

The reception was in contrast to what the party did during the visit of Indian premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 as part of “bus diplomacy”. JI had called for protest and practically besieged Lahore when Mr Vajpayee arrived in the city. This time the JI leaders not only hosted the reception, their leaders also attended some of the functions organised in honour of the Indian parliamentarians. In fact, the Jama’at was even criticised by some of jihadi outfits, including the chief of defunct Lashkar-e Taiba.

Interestingly, the JI did not react to the participation of Indian models in a “fashion show” organised at the 25th anniversary of an English weekly. In the past the party has reacted quite violently to such events. Insiders say they have been told by ‘relevant quarters’ to keep their distance from such programmes now.

“The conduct of the Jama’at is somewhat mysterious. While it allows fashion shows to go ahead, the city government refuses to grant NOCs for musical functions, especially those where female singers might be participating,” says an observer.