‘Rangers handing over seized hides to Edhi’

Karachi
Rangers are handing over the hides of sacrificial animals seized during their crackdown against forcible collection on Eid to the Edhi Foundation, the charity body told The News on Sunday.
Edhi Foundation spokesperson Anwar Kazmi said the paramilitary force had given animal hides in large quantities to their centres.
“I can’t specify the number of hides we have received from Rangers but we have been delivered a large amount of them,” he added.
“We haven’t asked Rangers to give us these hides and are issuing receipts to them for each of them.”
However, the paramilitary force did not officially confirm this or disclose what they had done with the confiscated hides.

Shifting shares
The Edhi Foundation and some other major welfare organisations say that they have received substantially more animal hides this Eid. However, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement says the share of its charity wing, the Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation, fell almost by half this year because of Rangers seizing the hides it had collected and arresting its activist and volunteers.
Kazmi said the Edhi Foundation had received 50 percent more hides this Eid.
“Political parties and banned outfits were unable to use their usual methods of collecting hides through threats and intimidation and we have collected hides in a peaceful atmosphere,” he added.
Amir Madani, the joint secretary of the Saylani Welfare Trust, said his organisation had received 30 percent more hides.
The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital too witnessed an increase in the number of hides it received.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Naaz Baloch said Rangers had performed remarkably well in ensuring peace in the city on Eid and that was why more hides were donated to Shaukat Khanum this time.
“People in large numbers came to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Karachi to donate hides as the city was free from terror and intimidation,” she added.
“Citizens have confidence in organisations like the Edhi Foundation, the Saylani Trust and the Shaukat Khanum and that has been proved this year.”
Jafaria Disaster Management Cell general secretary Zafar Abbas said his organisation had received 50 percent more hides.
“We didn’t send our volunteers to collect hides in accordance with the rules and still received double the amount that we usually collect,” he added.
Rafeeq Ahmed of the Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia Binori Town said there was a 15 percent increase in their collection even though the authorities had given them a tough time.
“Some of our volunteers were harassed and arrested by security agencies despite having the permit to collect hides,” he added.
Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said his party’s charity wing, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, had also witnessed a massive increase in the number of hides received this time.
He added that there were only a couple of incidents wherein Rangers had taken action against Al-Khidmat volunteers and they too were caused by misunderstandings.
“Around 12 of our volunteers were arrested and they have been granted bail by a special session court.”
MQM leader Aminul Haq said the KKF had received 50 percent less hides this year.
“Rangers confiscated around 60,000 hides collected by KKF volunteers in the province,” he claimed.
Haq said KKF volunteers were harassed in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah but other political parties and religious organisations, including banned outfits, were allowed to freely collect hides.
“The decrease in the the KKF’s collection has indirectly benefited extremists and banned outfits as citizens were left with no option but to donate hides to seminaries, many of which are affiliated with terrorist groups.”
Low rates
Despite the increase in collection this time, welfare organisations say that they have not raised more money because of the drastic decrease in the prices of hides.
The price of a cow’s hide had fallen to Rs1,500 this Eid against Rs,4500 last year.
Last year, the price of a goat’s hide was Rs500, but this Eid, it reduced to just Rs150.
An official of a welfare organisation said the government needed to step in to rescue the leather industry.
“Despite a crisis in the international market, there are other factors responsible for the decrease in hide prices as well,” he added.
He said the meeting between the prime minister and office-bearers of the Pakistan Tanners Association on September 11 in Islamabad was of great importance in this connection.
“The government didn’t want high prices of hides as it is considered one of the sources of terror financing in the country,” he said.
“The actual welfare organisations will also suffer because of the low rates.”
He said unlike previous years when hide collectors bid for tenders, this time welfare organisations were running after them.
A few middlemen said major tanneries were not interested in buying hides because of their previous stocks and lack of storage capacity.

Security checkpoints
A hide seller told The News that security officials had made it easier for them to travel to Korangi Industrial Area.
“Previously, we had to pay money to extortionists to take the hides to the industrial area,” he added.
However, he complained, there were four checkpoints on the route and the delay in security procedures had caused some of the hides to decay.
“There were four checkpoints, at Baloch Colony, Qayyumabad Chowarangi, Chamra Chowrangi and Korangi Industrial area, and that disturbed our schedule,” he added.