ISLAMABAD: In a rather comical turn of events, Islamabad’s District Magistrate Hamza Chaudhry issued an official letter “prohibiting” homosexual practices in the capital territory.
The letter, dated Oct 7, directed all “government officials, civil organisations, community organisations, and the general public that homosexuality is strictly prohibited in Islam and hence, cannot be tolerated in any form, whether in a political gathering or during private meetings”.
While referring to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) proposed Azadi March on Oct 27, it said that “Police has received several complains […] over a possible wave of homosexuality in Islamabad after a political gathering on 27th October”.
The office order directed government officials to “enforce Pakistan’s law and the regulations set out in Islam”.
Deciding to take a solo flight, the JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman last week announced Oct 27 as the date for his long march in Islamabad despite requests by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to postpone the anti-government rally.
On Friday last, a day after JUI-F announced its ‘Azadi March’, the government had hinted at mass arrests of party’s central and provincials leaders to scuttle the anti-government sit-in.
