Despite being on the interior ministry’s watch list for being banned by the United Nations, JuD is all geared to launch a rigorous hide collection campaign this Eid.
The preparation is most manifest in Lahore.
The JuD is not only appealing for hides, but also soliciting cash donations in lieu of sacrificial animals. The organization has set up collection camps in different areas of the city. The organisation’s central camp at Choburji has huge banners, appealing to citizens to donate hides.
Meanwhile, to facilitate donors, JuD distributed large shopping bags, printed with phone numbers of its all 25 collections centers, to households in Lahore.
They have asked people to put the animal hide in the bag and drop it at the nearest JuD camp or call on any of the printed numbers to have a JuD representative come and collect the hide from their residence.
Rigorous preparations
A lot of preparation has gone into the campaign, sources say.
The organisation has been preparing for two months to collect hides, which are a major source of revenue for religious and philanthropic organisations.
The JuD leadership held a meeting eight weeks back, at a hall near Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, to solicit prospective contributions from their activists from different areas, said a participant of the meeting.
The leadership tasked activists to ‘break all previous records’ in hide collection, the participant said.
NOCs not granted
The plans, however, may not come to fruition.
The Lahore district government rejected the organisation’s application for a no-objection certificate (NOC) to collect hides.
The district government has given NOCs to Edhi Foundation, Sahara For Life Trust, Hilal-e-Ahmar and Shaukat Khanum Trust to collect hides at designated points in the city, said staff officer of the DCO, Tariq Zaman.
Neither the JuD nor its charity arm Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation has been granted NOCs, Zaman said.
Since 2008, when sanctions were places on JuD activists around the country, the organisation has been collecting hides and other donations under the banner of its charity arm, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (3)
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If GOVT has stopped JUD from collecting hides, then they should desist from doing so....... But what about other parties who forcefully snatch hides, especially MQM, Sunni tehrik etc.....GOVT should also stop them
This is part of money laundry scheme to hide the name of there benefactors in non charity work.