Author:
Publication: The Pioneer
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Date: October 28, 2000
A three-day congregation
of the right-wing Jamaat-i-Islami began here on Friday some 30 km west
of Islamabad with an estimated participation of half a million people from
across the country.
A sprawling tented city
has emerged at the venue, covering an area of 7.3 million square feet.
The Qurtuba City, the name given to the place by the Jamaat, has been decorated
with thousands of party flags, banners and colorful lights. The venue
is also resounding with the recitation of the Holy Quran and songs.
Delegates from 19 countries have also arrived in the Pakistan capital.
"Comprehensive arrangements
have been made for the stay of about 400,000 men and 100,000 women," Liaquat
Baloch, a senior Jamaat-i-Islami leader, said. He said that as many
as 32 committees and 2,500 Jamaat volunteers had worked day and night to
turn barren and inhospitable piece of land into a center of lively activity.
The program has been
divided into different sessions, including lectures on the problem of poverty
and its Islamic solutions, challenges faced by the Islamic world, the Islamic
movements and an international session that will be addressed by foreign
guests affiliated to various Islamic movements and organizations.
Baloch estimated that
about Rs 20 million would be spent on the congregation. "The amount
could have been far more had the dedicated Jamaat workforce not worked
day and night for holding the gathering," he said.
More than 140 male and
female doctors, including specialists will be available round the clock
during the event. A 20-bed hospital has also been set up to treat
patients having cardiac problems or needing surgery, Baloch said.
About the aims and objectives
of the Qurtuba City he said: "We want to set up a model city based purely
on Islamic principles where greater emphasis will be on acquisition of
knowledge."
Leaders of all the religious
and political parties are also expected to attend an "Ittehad Ummat" conference
on the third day. At the end a joint resolution will be passed, reiterating
the religious groups' condemnation of efforts aimed at making Pakistan
a secular state, another Jamaat leader said. A collective viewpoint
about the restoration of democracy and parliamentary system will also be
announced at the conference, he added.
Baloch also pointed out
that a Jamaat committee had decided to set up a permanent venue for the
holding of such gatherings in the future to minimize any possibility of
government restrictions or interference.
A few days back, Qazi
Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the Jamaat, had visited the city and claimed
that the party's volunteers had again proved that the Jamaat was capable
of accepting any challenge. The Jamaat had organized two such programs
previously, one at the Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore, capital of Pakistan's
Punjab province and the second at the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad in 1998.
Nearly 200,000 people attended these programs.
