பாகிஸ்தான்: கராச்சியில் வீடியோ கடைகளை மூடவைக்க வெடிகுண்டுகள்

பாகிஸ்தான் கராச்சியில் ஒழுக்கத்தை நிலைநாட்ட வீடியோ கடைகள், சினிமா தியேட்டர்கள் ஆகியவற்றில் செப்டம்பர் 27ஆம் தேதி குண்டுவைக்கப்படும் என்று மிரட்டல் நோட்டீஸ்கள் அனுப்பப்பட்டுள்ளன.

வாய்ஸ் ஆஃப் இஸ்லாமிக் ஷாரியா என்ற அமைப்பின் மூலம் வினியோகிக்கப்படும் இந்த நோட்டீஸ்கள் பலரை பீதிக்குள்ளாக்கியிருக்கின்றன.

Shut down by September 27 or else...: Islamist threatens to bomb Rainbow Centre
* Issues warning to cable operators, cinemas and bus drivers who play loud music
By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: A pamphlet from a man threatening to blow up Rainbow Centre unless it shut down by September 27 was distributed Saturday night, sparking panic in the ground-floor business owners and people who live in the flats above.

“If the video business does not shut down in two months, there will be an explosion so big that the entire world will remember it,” said the A4 size open letter, written in crude Urdu handwriting and signed by ‘Fatah’. “Even if I do not remain, the voice of Islamic Shariat will never die.”

The open letter also issued a warning to the city’s cinemas, cable operators and public bus drivers who play loud music. “All of Karachi’s cinema hall owners are requested to shut down otherwise after July 27 any one of them could be blown up with a bomb at any time,” the letter said.

“Cable operators should only air Islamic channels and if any vulgar programmes are broadcast in any locality of Karachi, the cable operator’s office will be blown up,” it added.

The letter’s writer said that vulgarity and obscenity had become exceedingly common and that the various forms of the media were showing dancing and singing. He appealed to people to shun these forms of entertainment and for those he threatened to desist from their work.

The pamphlet was reportedly distributed to all the shops on the ground floor of Rainbow Centre by two children, aged seven and nine, said Waqas Khalid who works at shop No. G-39 and Nadim of shop No. G-112. The children did not know what was written in the letter, added Waqas of shop No. G-111. As the salesmen read it and the news spread, shopkeepers grabbed the children and questioned them.

The children, who are from the neighbourhood, said that they were given Rs 100 each by a tall man with a big beard. He was wearing a shalwar kameez and skull cap. He gave them the pamphlets and told them to just throw it into each shop.

The Rainbow Centre union got together to discuss the problem and when this report was filed they were drafting a letter to the law enforcement agencies that they planned to dispatch Monday (today).

Acting chief of police Javaid Bukhari told Daily Times Sunday night that he had not received any complaint but if he did the police would obviously do everything in their power to prevent anything bad from happening. “We can give solve the problem 10 percent by giving them extra security but 90 percent of it will depend on their own vigilance,” Bukhari said, adding that he was going to look into the matter today.

Rainbow Centre union president Salim Memon said that while he agreed that there should be an Islamic system, threatening people with bombs was no way to impose it. One of his colleagues, Muslim, added that some people thought that distributing a letter like this was a “short cut” to heaven. Rainbow Centre will tighten security but are also deciding whether to continue work as usual or shut up shop.

The chairman of Media Plus Communications Amir who is also part of the management of Nishat Cinema said that they had not received the pamphlet.

JUI-S’s Mufti Muhammad Usman Yar Khan urged would-be suicide bombers and note writers to stay away from unlawful activities and use the Islamic way of Da’wah (Tableegh), instead. Religion does not condone suicide bombings, said JI’s Merajul Huda Siddiqui. “Rulers should also realise, however, that the undue use of power gives rise to another kind of powerful movement. Our rulers think that steam would be released if they have a photo session at the Ka’ba.”