Women's marathon: Mullahs' reaction

Dawn, April 4, 2005
MMA men disrupt women's marathon
By Akram Malik

GUJRANWALA, April 3: Declaring girls' participation in public sports as an un-Islamic act, hundreds of activists of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, led by a member of the National Assembly, disrupted a mini-marathon here on Sunday.

They set on fire 19 vehicles outside the Jinnah Stadium and damaged other property.

Over a dozen MMA activists, including MNA Maulana Qazi Hamidullah and his son Maulana Kafaitullah, and three policemen were injured in a clash which erupted when police tried to prevent them from disrupting the event. Police later arrested the MNA and about 20 other people.

The district administration had been asked by the local leadership of the alliance to drop girls' event from the 3km marathon. The administration, however, went ahead with the plan, but failed to take adequate security measures. A similar event had been held in Lahore last month amid tight security.

The trouble started when about 800 MMA activists who had gathered outside the stadium were informed that the girls' race had started from the Divisional Public School. By that time the men's race, which begun half an hour earlier, had reached the stadium.

According to officials, the activists, who were armed with 'petrol bombs', clubs and bricks, attacked the participants of the men's race, police and district administration personnel.

They torched 12 cars and seven motorcycles and smashed window-panes of the stadium and adjacent buildings and shops. Police resorted to a baton-charge, but after failing to disperse the violent crowd they started firing in the air.

Cars belonging to Punjab Transport Minister Rana Shamshad Ahmad Khan, MPA Mohammad Ashraf Butt, Tehsil Municipal Administrator Chaudhry Zubair Nat, Pakistan Muslim League District president Chaudhry Zafarullah and the executive district officer, revenue, were among those set on fire.

The girls' race was stopped half way. Some officials said that people responsible for the violence might face trial under the Anti-Terrorism Act. MMA leaders blamed the administration for the incident and said they had warned the organizers no to hold the girls' marathon on the GT Road.

A press note issued by District Coordination Officer Fazeel Asghar alleged that the assailants had also used petrol bombs and fired at the main gate of the stadium with automatic weapons. MNA Hamidullah denied the allegation.