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MMA’s marathon protest ‘peaceful’

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has called Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s (MMA) protest on women participation in the Gujranwala marathon race on April 3 as ‘peaceful’.

Durrani made the observation during a meeting with Michael Spangler, principal officer of the Peshawar US Consulate, on Thursday, a source at Frontier’s House told Daily Times on Saturday. Durrani complained to Spangler that the international community, particularly the United States, did not react positively to the MMA’s promotion of female education. Forty-five people were injured when Qazi Hamidullah, MMA’s member of the National Assembly, led a protest against the marathon. During the protest, seven vehicles and five motorcycles were torched.

A senior official told Daily Times that the MMA had an image problem, adding that if the religious alliance had improved its image, the international community could have cooperated with it. “I told MMA leaders to improve its image and appoint a woman minister in the Durrani cabinet,” the official said.

The international community would not accept the MMA if it failed to improve its image vis-à-vis women affairs, said the official. “The Taliban had the same problem and look what happened to them,” the official added.

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