UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
MEMORANDUM
CONFIDENTIAL
| date: | August 1, 1979 |
| reply to atten of |
Masood Akram Economic Advisor |
| subject: | Islamic Rally at Peshawar University |
| to: | Douglas B. Archard Principal Officer |
Beginning from July 21, 1979, a three-day rally of Islami Jamiati-Tulaba was held at the campus of Peshawar University under the auspices of their NWPP Branch. Fairly elaborate arrangements were made to receive the delegates to the rally who came from all over the country. Transportation, boarding and lodging facilities were arranged by very enthusiastic workers of islami Jamiati-Tulaba of Peshawar University. It is somewhat difficult to say how many out-of-town delegates attended the rally. Estimates vary from 500 to over 1,000. Delgates included a twenty-man delegation form Saudi Arabia. The total audience in certain sessions exceeded 3,000 persons.
According to Shabir Ahmed, a medical student at Peshawar University, and Irshad ul-Haq, a businessman, both enthusiastic supporters of Jamaat - i - Islami (J.I.), who attended the rally, the declared objective of the rally was to infuse the spirit of Islam in Pakistani youth, and prepare the young generation for handling the responsibility of an Islamic society. With this end in view, sermons by learned scholars of Islam, speeches by leaders of J.I. and meetings for recitation and interpretation of Quran, were organized during different sessions of the rally. An exhibition dealing with the history of the Islamic revolution in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan was also held.
The rally received a good will message from Maulana Maudoodi, the founder of J.I. who predicted a resurgence and the final supremacy of Islam. A number of top leaders of J.I. came to address the rally. They included Professor Ghafoor, Professor Khurchid, Mian Turail Mohammed, Qazi Ilussain Ahmed and others. Prominent among the student leaders were . . .
CONFIDENTIAL
