From the Gulf Times:
Gift-shop owner Mohamed Hafeez said Valentine’s cards had been flying off his shelves, thanks in part to the media which he said had been promoting the day much more.
“For us it means good business. Mostly we get teenagers and young couples buying cards and gifts. There’s nothing corrupt about it,” he said.
In recent years, Pakistani newspapers have put out Valentine’s Day issues full of advertisements aimed at young, well-heeled, urban consumers.
But in the central city of Multan the youth wing of the powerful Jamaat-e-Islami religious party sent out stick-wielding volunteers looking to catch any unmarried couples celebrating the day in parks, hotels and guest houses.
“The government is doing nothing to stop these un-Islamic practices but if we catch anyone we will not spare them,” said Babar Man, leader of the youth group.
Maulana Amir Hamza, a senior member of the Jamaat ud Daawa, an Islamist aid group linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant organisation, said Valentine’s Day was an attempt to corrupt Muslim youth.
“There is no mention of Valentine’s day in Islamic history yet the government is patronising such Western concepts in an Islamic country,” Hamza said.
“Those who celebrate it will go to hell,” he said.
Valentine’s Day is Bad. Stick weilding vigilantes are apparently A-Ok.