Hide(s) and seek

Little choice left for residents as parties likely to fight over collections.

KARACHI: As political and religious parties in the city fight to collect as many hides as possible, residents are left with little choice but to give in to such demands.

The process is easier in neighbourhoods where only one party is dominant. Trouble begins in those areas where more than one group fights over houses in their attempt to collect as many hides as possible.

Activists drop coupons at each house, where a sacrifice is expected, to confirm that they will be collecting hides from that house. This is generally a form of warning for the household to not give the hide to any other party.

A resident of North Nazimabad, Arshad, told The Express Tribune that he wanted to give hides to the mosque where he goes every day. “But I can’t do so since I have to keep living in this neighbourhood,” he said.

Even though Samiuddin supports a political party, he prefers to give away the animal’s hides to a religious party because he wants to play his part in promoting Islamic values.

Another resident, Zafar, suggested that the government should collect hides this year through the police and Rangers and use the money for flood rehabilitation. “Political parties use the money for their own interests and there is a need for some one to look after our national interests,” he said.

The Sindh home department issued an 11-point code of conduct for this year but it appears that the parties are openly violating it. Banners demanding hides dot major commercial areas.

The Khidmat-e Khalq Foundation, backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), is believed to be the largest collector of hides every year but this cannot be confirmed since the party does not reveal the exact numbers. The man in charge of the foundation, Mustafa Kamal, told The Express Tribune that they are expecting to collect fewer hides this year mainly because fewer people are offering the sacrifice. However, in terms of percentage, the party will collect the maximum share because the MQM had the “largest political mandate in the city”, he added.

Jamaat-e-Islami Sindh Naib Ameer Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui said that they collected around 25,000 hides last year. He added that their party would follow the home department’s code of conduct. “We have contributed a lot to the flood survivors so we are expecting a higher number of collections this year,” he said.

Sunni Tehreek spokesperson Fahimuddin Sheikh said that they have reached an agreement with the MQM to not allow any fighting. Both parties have formed committees to monitor the work, he said.

Edhi spokesperson Anwar Kazmi said that their foundation had received around 6,500 hides last year. This year the number of sacrificial animals has gone down by nearly 30 per cent so the collection can also go down to around 5,000 hides.

Kazmi added that tanneries have also opened tenders, with Rs2,687 for the hides of big animals and Rs390 for the hides of goats and sheep.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2010.