Mansoorah a clear example of 'good governance'

While other political parties can only make claims that they will usher in a period of 'good governance' once in office, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has said it can provide a real example of what a well-run community should be like.

As far as the JI is concerned, such a community exists at its sprawling estate at Mansoorah, spread over 1.8 million square feet on Multan Road at the outskirts of Lahore.

Apartments, playgrounds, well swept streets, schools, colleges and a superbly run eight-bed hospital, open to non-residents, operates within the walled compound. Residents are said to lead a life free from the fear of crime, women are not harassed, schools provide a standard education to all, and indeed, in many ways life does seem almost idyllic.

One of Mansoorah's residents, Samia Raheel Qazi, the daughter of JI leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who lives at Mansoorah with her two small children, said: "Here things are as they should be. All of us live safely and without fear."

Most of the land at Mansoorah, created in 1974, is owned by the Majlis-e-Ahya-ul-Islam, according to Mansoor Jaffar, spokesman for the JI. Most of the other tracts belong to Pakistanis based overseas, who hope one day to return and settle here.

Around 140 smartly built apartments house a 'permenant' colony of some 500 people, sharing similar beliefs, while guests are also housed here while attending JI conferences and so on.

The estate is managed by a committee, at least formally independent of the JI, which organises the administrative affairs of the community. Mansoorah is however also clearly a 'showpiece' for the JI, which brings many visitors, local and foreign, to show of the community. "It provides an example of what we can do if we are allowed to run the country," Mansoor Jaffar said.

A convert to the JI from a past in leftist politics, Jaffar also said the party is "serving the country more than any so-called socialist party".

The question of whether Mansoorah-style 'micro government' can be imposed on the 'real' world is also a highly debatable one. Critics point out that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government in the NWFP has failed to improve administration or services for people, while devoting much time and effort to rhetoric about moral welfare of people.

JI leader Amirul Momineen, when asked about this, said: "The MMA government has faced many problems. The mission is to give every citizen good services, and we are working towards this. We believe this can happen, and we can make it happen."

The JI promotes Mansoorah as the 'ideal' community, and uses its offices here as its headquarters. Qazi Hussain Ahmed too bases himself at Mansoorah while in Lahore. The controversial student group, the Shabab-e-Milli, known for its tendency to 'attack' billboards featuring women or vehicles carrying party goers to functions, is also based here.

A building that was once a cinema is used for lectures by visiting clerics or the Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba, the JI's student wing.

Entertainment is also offered at Mansoorah, but falling within strict Islamic lines. Audio and video tapes provide Islamic stories and lessons for children, but some ordinary children's TV programmes are also avaialble. All business, including shopping, is conducted outside Mansoorah.

With its well kept grassy lawns and yards, Mansoorah in many ways resembles a peaceful residential community in a kind of cult setting. Anyone can sign up and live here, if they agree to abide by the strict housing rules.

Children, men, women and even the elderelty can attend schools and collegs, and even though the realities of politics are nearly always present, Mansoorah at times seems to beat to a tune of its own, providing a perhaps unique example of the kind of society the JI would like to create across the country.