Cases were registered against seven people for setting up stalls selling intestines in areas other than those specified. PHOTO: MOHAMMAD NOMAN/EXPRESS
The city government ended up allowing five groups to set up collection camps for animal hides on Eid, including an organisation connected to Jamatud Dawa that had not even applied for permission.
Twenty seven charities had applied for permission to establish hide collection camps in the city a few days before Eid. The city government approved the applications of the Edhi Foundation, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, the Sahara Trust and the Al-khidmat Foundation on Tuesday.
And on Wednesday morning, city officials also granted the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation permission to set up camps. The group, which was not among the 27 applicants, had already set up its camps. Other small organisations tried to set up camps without permission on Eid day. Town administration teams removed 28 such camps.
Tariq Zaman, the staff officer to the district coordination officer, said that the government had allowed “reputable” organisations to set up camps. He confirmed that the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, which is attached to Jamatud Dawa, had been given permission on Wednesday morning. Asked why this was so considering its connection with a group declared a terrorist outfit by the United Nations, he said all that he knew was that the FIF had been “cleared for permission”.
Hundreds of Section-144 violators released
More than 200 people accused of violating a ban on burning sacrificial animals’ heads and trotters in public spaces and purchasing the animals’ intestines were released on bail by special judicial magistrates on Friday.
The city government had imposed Section 144 on the activities mentioned above to control air pollution on Eidul Azha.
They had designated seven locations in the city where people could burn animals’ heads and trotters to sell as siri paya.
A massive crackdown was launched on Eid in this regard. Police registered 15 cases and arrested 16 people for violations on Wednesday. On Thursday, police registered cases against 40 people and arrested them for roasting animals’ heads and trotters in streets. Police registered 68 cases on Friday and arrested 70 people.
The city government had earlier informed traders in animal waste that they would only be allowed to trade intestines at Old Bakar Mandi near Yateem Khana.
Cases were registered against seven people for setting up stalls selling intestines in areas other than those specified.
Those arrested were produced handcuffed in the Model Town, District and Cantt courts on Friday. The courts were crowded with their relatives who had come to guarantee their bails.
Muhammad Khalid, one of those arrested, told The Express Tribune that he was a poor man who had tried to earn some money by burning trotters. “The police arrested me and ruined my Eid,” he said, “Shouldn’t we encourage the consumption of animals’ trotters instead of throwing them away?”
Muhammad Liaquat, who had also been arrested, said that the police had implicated him in a forged case. “I was on my way to dispose of goat intestines in a dustbin installed by the city government for the purpose. The police arrested me claiming that I had purchased them,” he said.
Liaquat said that he had insisted that he was innocent but the police did not pay him heed. “Does imposing Section-144 mean you can arrest anyone without investigating the matter?” he said, “Instead of controlling pollution, they’re causing trepidation among people.”
The ones arrested said the government had ruined their Eid. “How much more polluted can our country get if we merely burn trotters on Eid?” asked one of them.
Tariq Zaman, staff officer to the district coordination officer, told The Express Tribune that the city government had imposed Section-144 to control pollution.
He said they had registered more than 200 FIRS and arrested nearly 300 people for burning animals’ trotters and buying intestines. “We had received complaints of people burning trotters in residential areas and on streets,” he said, “The imposition of Section-144 will cease at 12am on the last day of Eid.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2013.
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