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Pakistani city enforces ban on music in public transport

Traffic police in Karachi said Thursday they have launched a campaign to stop music being played in public transport due to complaints from women.

The authorities denied the move was in response to a reported warning from the Taleban, who consider music sinful according to their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.

“No there was no threat to the traffic police from anyone, it is entirely baseless,” Arif Hanif, Karachi traffic police chief AFP.

“We only got complaints from the women commuters and nothing else,” Hanif said.

“And the campaign is aimed at the implementation of the law as the rules prohibit playing music in public transport,” he said.

The congested roads of the chaotic city of 20 million are plied by a variety of public transport vehicles including buses, rickshaws and taxis.

Drivers caught playing music will be fined and music players will be confiscated under the crackdown.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taleban (TTP) launched an insurgency seven years ago that has claimed nearly 7,000 lives.