Hides they seek: 82 banned groups put under watch

Only people with permission from DC may collect hides of sacrificial animals

RAWALPINDI:

At least 82 proscribed organisations and banned outfits are on the radar of the Punjab Home Department for hide collection ban.

The home department has sent letters to all district commissioners, including Rawalipindi’s to strictly stop members of these banned outfits from collecting hides for raising funds.

The banned outfits will not be allowed to collect hides of sacrificial animals on Eidul-Azha. The collection activity by an individual or organisation would be subject to permission from the deputy commissioner. Punjab Home Department has directed the law enforcement agencies to remain alert during Eidul Azha. The authorities have been directed to keep a vigilant eye on some 82 outfits that were either banned or put under surveillance.

Every year, Muslims around the world sacrifice animals on Eid-ul-Azha and in a spirit of charity, donate the pelts of the sacrificial animals to various organisations collecting them. Several religious seminaries and charity organisations try to collect maximum number of hides since it is a lucrative business. The hides are sold to tanneries that willingly take them, process them into fine leather, and sell them on to factories producing leather products. They have a great demand in the fashion industry, domestic and international markets.

The hide collection is a cash-generating activity worth billions of rupees. The skins collected at sale points end up in tanning factories which feed the local and foreign leather industry. The activists of political and religious parties, including banned organisations, do whatever it takes to ensure they fetch the maximum number of skins to earn the profit. Besides religious seminaries and human rights or social welfare organisations such as Edhi, Chhippa, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, several militant organisations, which are banned or under surveillance, attempt to gather the hides to finance their illegal activities.

The organisations which have been banned by the government, endeavour to collect pelts for their coffers and pursue their illegal activities. Notably, in big cities, various banned outfits have changed their names and set up charities to continue the accumulation of hides by putting up banners and posters. However, the people should remain vigilant and only give them to the poor, needy orphans, widows, other deserving persons, and registered seminaries.

The police will also form teams tasked to ensure that members of banned organisations could not collect animal hides on Eidul Azha this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2020.