SATURDAY, MAY 05, 2007
18:41 MECCA TIME, 15:41 GMT
Pakistanis smash cars for Islam
Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, bordering Afghanistan, is known as a
hotbed of support for the fighters [AP]
Around 200 armed men have forcibly halted dozens of cars and smashed
their cassette players in northwestern Pakistan in a bid to impose
Taliban-style values.
A government official confirmed Saturday's incident but did not say if
authorities planned any action against the men who also smashed mobile
phones and ordered men to grow beards.
The men took up positions beside a road near Khar, the main town in
the tribal region of Bajaur, where they stopped and searched passing
vehicles, witnesses said.
"They smashed cassette players running music and mobile phones fitted
with cameras," a driver, whose vehicle was searched, said.
The driver, who preferred anonymity, also said the armed men had urged
clean-shaven tribesmen to grow beards.
Pakistan's lawless tribal belt is well-known as a hotbed of support
for Taliban fighters in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Heavily-armed tribes also shelter many groups and individuals who wish
to overthrow Pakistan's government and replace it with a Taliban-style
theocracy.
Critics say the government's influence in the areas has weakened
considerably since authorities signed a series of peace deals with
some tribal leaders.
Music shops
On Friday, armed men also attacked music shops with explosive devices
in the town of Charsadda in the neighbouring North West Frontier
Province destroying at least five.
Many Muslims believe that music and pictures are un-Islamic because
they may help create an environment in which immoral acts can take place.
Last month, burqa-clad female students of an Islamic school or madrasa
raided a brothel in the capital, Islamabad, and abducted three women
for three days.
The top cleric of the mosque linked to the madrasa later threatened
suicide attacks if the government used force to stop his movement.
Source: Agencies
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