Pakistan's Ahl-e-Hadith Muslims remain misunderstood and mistreated.

Related posts: Four types of lesser Muslims of Pakistan

Sunni Muslims reject Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan

In defense of our Salafi (Ahl-e-Hadith) brothers and sisters

Do not ignore the distinction between Deobandi jihadis and Salafi (wahhabi) jihadis in Pakistan

Salafi cannon fodder: ISI’s jihad in Kashmir through JuD/LeT

There are long held adverse stereotypes and misperceptions about the Ahl-e-Hadith (Salafi or Wahhabi) Muslims in Pakistani society.

Some of these adverse stereotypes include:

1. All Ahl-e-Hadith are a part of Jihadi-sectarian militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) aka Jamaatu-ud-Dawa (Jud);
2. They are blasphemers of the Prophet (pbuh);
3. They are blasphemers of the family of the Propeht (pbuh);
4. They support violence against other Muslim sects (e.g., Sunni Barelvis, Shias etc), and are responsible for the ongoing target killing of Shias, Barelvis, Ahmadis etc in Pakistan;
5. They are funded and supported by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and other Arab countries…. etc

While some of the above stereotypes may be applicable to only a tiny minority of the Ahl-e-Hadith Muslims, the majority of the Ahl-e-Hadith do no fall into the above described categories or stereotypes.

A dominant majority of Pakistan’s Ahl-e-Hadith Muslims are as peaceful, tolerant and moderate as are a majority of Pakistan’s Sunnis, Shias, Ahmadis, Christians and other communities.

They are neither a part of nor do they support Jihadi-sectarian militants (e.g., JuD-LeT, SSP-ASWJ, Taliban etc).

Their love and respect for the Prophet (pbuh) and his family is no less than other Muslims.

They do not support violence against other Muslims sects or non-Muslim groups.

Unlike Kharijis or Takfiris of Sipah-e-Sahaba and Taliban, they don’t issue fatwa of kufr (religious decree of apostasy) against other sects (e.g., Shia, Barelvi, Deobandi etc)

They earn their living through halal (legitimate) means in Pakistan. They don’t need any financial support from Saudi Arabia or any other country.

They condemn violence against and target killing of Shias, Sunnis, Ahmadis and other persecuted and target killed communities of Pakistan.

For example, Maulana Muhammad Ishaq of Faisalabad (Punjab) is Pakistan’s most eminent Ahl-e-Hadith scholar who promotes Sunni Shia unity and rejects all forms of violence against Muslims and non-Muslims.

Here is another example. Recently in November 2011, Ahl-e-Hadith people and scholars took out a public demonstration in Islamabad against an extremist Saudi-funded Jihadi-sectarian group Jamaat-ud-Dawa declaring them as Khariji terrorist organization which does not represent Pakistan’s Ahl-e-Hadith Muslims.

In yet another example, on 29 Feb 2012, Ahl-e-Hadith Muslims of India alleged the JuD-LeT duo and its parent body Markaz Dawa-wal-Irshad of Hafiz Saeed of being a part of a global conspiracy to bring bad name to Islam and Muslims. Here is a copy of the news report which was published in DNA, India.

LeT Taliban maligning Islam
Islamic scholars of Ahle Hadees faith here on Wednesday accused their Pakistani counterpart representing the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and its parent body Markaz Dawa-al-Irshad of being part of a global conspiracy to malign Islam. The Markazi Jamiat Ahle-e-Hadees, which is hosting the Imam of Holy shrine of Islam in Makkah, Dr Saud Bin Ibrahim Al Shoraim, here on March 2-3, said their faith even does not recognise street protests, and strongly denounces hijacking, bombing, or suicide missions. The main feature of two conferences of Markazi Jamiat Ahle-e-Hadees would be the presence of Imam-e-Kaaba Dr Alsharami. The Saudi Islamic scholar is also travelling to world famous Islamic seminary Deoband on Saturday. The organisers are expecting Shankaracharia Swami Adokshanand and some Buddhist leaders also to join the Imam of Kaaba at the Ramlila grounds on Friday. Often labeled as ‘Wahabis’ and accused of promoting radical brand of Islam, secretary general of the host organisation Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Salfi said suicide bombing and terrorism has done a great harm to Islam. “Even logically if a Palestinian bomber kills four or five Israeli Jews, the cost of retaliation is too heavy. Israelis in retaliation kills many more or arrest hundreds of Palestinians. There is no incentive. Even against oppression, there is need to continue peaceful struggle and create international awareness,” said the Maulana. “We believe Hafiz Mohamamd Sayeed, the chief of LeT, is a Khawarij (seceder or the rebel) and needs to be punished under the book,” he said. The Ahle Hadees sect often comes under attack in India for sharing ideology with the LeT or Dawa al Irshad headed by Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed. Clarifying his stance, Maulana Salfi said both Hafiz Sayeed and Taliban were part of an international conspiracy. He called these groups marauders and said their struggle was nowhere near ‘jihad’. He pointed out how America promoted these very groups when they were aligning with it to fight against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Claiming that a majority of Ahle Hadees followers in Pakistan were also up in arms against Hafiz Sayeed for taking over their mosques and establishments, Maulana said Islam does not believe taking extreme lines.

Source: Taliban, LeT maligning Islam: Scholars, DNA, New Delhi, Published: Thursday, Mar 1, 2012

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_taliban-let-maligning-islam-scholars_1656913

Note: Some parts of this post are adapted from Aamir Mughal’s excellent blog: http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/jinnah-organized-shia-killings-in.html

Now for some home truths
Abbas Nasir

WE in the media have spared no effort to vilify the civilian elected politician but our vigour seems to taper off dramatically in the case of other significant players in the country.

Take for example a news item in this newspaper on Wednesday which said four armed Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) members were arrested by the police at a road check-post near Rawalpindi-Islamabad airport but were taken away by men identifying themselves as intelligence officials.

We’ll of course not comment on this link between the unnamed intelligence agency and armed men belonging to a militant group blamed for carrying out terror attacks in the commercial capital of a neighbouring country.

They are all patriotic and clean with only the country’s best interest at heart. Also, because there isn’t any ‘evidence’ that JuD or its predecessor Lashkar-i-Taiba or others like them have ever been involved in terrorism or any anti-Pakistan activity on ‘our soil’. This has been the case for years.

A senior Islamabad journalist once told me of an unreported incident in Multan where a couple of armed men had just executed a sectarian murder when their motorcycle broke down and they were picked up pretty nigh red-handed by a policemen who chanced to be passing through the area. The two seemingly confident hit-men were taken to the police station and detained for a few hours when suddenly members of the country’s premier intelligence agency showed up, identified themselves and demanded the militants be given in their ‘custody’. Once the police had verified the credentials of the agency operatives, they had no option but to hand over the men, along with their seized weapons, to them. This was the last the police heard of them. Incredible as this story may sound, it was later corroborated by a different source.

As long as you articulate the point of view of the country’s military establishment and stay wedded to it all is well. Look at the recently formed Difa-i-Pakistan Council which brings together right-wing elements/politicians of all shapes, hues and sizes. In short an enviable galaxy.

What unites them? They all buy into the national security policy. How do you know the army opposes any relaxation in relations with India, even giving it the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status as mandated by international trade laws and conventions?

Well you need not look far. Look at what the JuD leader Hafiz Saeed, PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and sectarian leaders such as Malik Ishaq have to say about the MFN; about their eagerness to play the nuclear card, to drop the bomb on the enemy at the drop of a hat, so to speak.

You are suspect even if you believe with every patriotic fibre in your body that peace can deliver the most dignity to the nation and the biggest dividend to the shirtless millions for whom food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education are but a forlorn, pointless dream.

God help you if you believe in civilian supremacy and oppose the khaki-sanctioned brand of obscurantism and the most unenlightened and militant interpretation of a religion hailed for its universal message of peace and amity.

There are some among my friends and readers who disagree with me and point to the inordinate loss of life taken by the military in recent years as soldiers have confronted Pakistani Taliban as proof of the khaki change of direction.

I have written in admiration of the sacrifices of our soldiers and civilians alike as they have faced the monster of mediaeval thinking. But I will unabashedly say as far as the military leadership goes, its continued belief in ‘good’ and ‘bad’ militants continues to be fraught with perils.

These perils are real not least because the security establishment remains self-righteous about the best course for the country. Clearly it doesn’t realise and acknowledge its ‘we-know-best’ attitude has cost us dearly already.

Why else would it still allow its senior officials to, surely among other things, use text messages (perhaps even now notorious BBM!) to ‘encourage’ politicians to join a particular party or to send laudatory, approving messages when this party’s leaders talk about the virtues of nuclear-first strike?

Agreed, we have poor governance, even corruption, but the country’s nascent democracy is already showing signs of maturity. To what else can we attribute the National Finance Commission award and the 18th Amendment to the constitution?

Look at what the 20th Amendment will achieve: a caretaker set-up demonstrably so impartial that the next election’s result will not be marred by acrimony and recriminations. What a gift to the nation.

Imagine what a new government may be able to deliver when it starts with a clean slate, unencumbered by a disputed election and enjoying an untainted mandate. This is what parliamentary politics, dialogue with give and take among various political parties, can deliver.

Contrast this with a number of systems ‘engineered’ by the most patriotic of national institutions to best serve the interest of the security state and what they delivered. Ask yourself what truly serves our long-term enlightened self-interest.

Look at how the unbridled security services have run amok in Balochistan and to what consequences. Yes, I am a liberal but not with shuttered vision. I can see the excesses of the Baloch separatists too.

But for the intelligence agencies of the state to snatch, torture and kill dissidents no matter how odious they are considered, without due process is mindless if anything. The origins of the conflict don’t represent a chicken-and-egg dilemma.

We all know more or less where the conflict has its roots: in denial of legitimate rights. It’s that simple. When leaders who have held public office in the federation say they have lost faith in it, it is a sad pass. Let’s hope we are spared more of the wisdom that’s brought us here.

The writer is a former editor of Dawn. abbas.nasir@hotmail.com

Source: Dawn

Appendix: Maullah Ahmad Ludhianvi explains Sipah-e-Sahaba’s particiaption in the ISI-sponsored Difa-e-Pakistan Council

Banned Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Taiba are key recipients of the Saudi-UAE financial aid

Related post: SSP-LeJ-JUI and the Libyan connection: In the light of WikiLeaks

A US official in a cable sent to the State Department stated that “financial support estimated at nearly 100 million USD annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith clerics in south Punjab from organisations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments.”

The cable sent in November 2008 by Bryan Hunt, the then Principal Officer at the US Consulate in Lahore, was based on information from discussions with local government and non-governmental sources during his trips to the cities of Multan and Bahawalpur.

Quoting local interlocutors, Hunt attempts to explain how the “sophisticated jihadi recruitment network” operated in a region dominated by the Barelvi sect, which, according to the cable, made south Punjab “traditionally hostile” to Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith schools of thought.

Hunt refers to a “network of Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith mosques and madrassahs” being strengthened through an influx of “charity” which originally reached organisations “such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Al-Khidmat foundation”. Portions of these funds would then be given away to clerics “in order to expand these sects’ presence” in a relatively inhospitable yet “potentially fruitful recruiting ground”.

Outlining the process of recruitment for militancy, the cable describes how “families with multiple children” and “severe financial difficulties” were generally being exploited for recruitment purposes. Families first approached by “ostensibly ‘charitable’” organisations would later be introduced to a “local Deobandi or Ahl-i-Hadith maulana” who would offer to educate the children at his madrassah and “find them employment in the service of Islam”. “Martyrdom” was also “often discussed”, with a final cash payment to the parents. “Local sources claim that the current average rate is approximately Rs 500,000 (approximately USD 6,500) per son,” the cable states.

Children recruited would be given age-specific indoctrination and would eventually be trained according to the madrassah teachers’ assessment of their inclination “to engage in violence and acceptance of jihadi culture” versus their value as promoters of Deobandi or Ahl-i-Hadith sects or recruiters, the cable states.

Recruits “chosen for jihad” would then be taken to “more sophisticated indoctrination camps”. “Locals identified three centres reportedly used for this purpose”. Two of the centres were stated to be in the Bahawalpur district, whereas one was reported as situated “on the outskirts of Dera Ghazi Khan city”. These centres “were primarily used for indoctrination”, after which “youths were generally sent on to more established training camps in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and then on to jihad either in FATA, NWFP, or as suicide bombers in settled areas”.
The cable goes on to quote local officials criticising the PML-N-led provincial and the PPP-led federal governments for their “failure to act” against “extremist madrassas, or known prominent leaders such as Jaish-i-Mohammad’s Masood Azhar”. The Bahawalpur district nazim at the time told Hunt that despite repeatedly highlighting the threat posed by extremist groups and indoctrination centres to the provincial and federal governments, he had received “no support” in dealing with the issue unless he was ready to change his political loyalties. The nazim, who at the time was with the PML-Q, “blamed politics, stating that unless he was willing to switch parties…neither the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz provincial nor the Pakistan People’s Party federal governments would take his requests seriously”.

Cable referenced: WikiLeaks # 178082.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/saudi-arabia-uae-financing-extremism-in-south-punjab.html

http://criticalppp.com/forum/topic.php?id=1303

Imran Khan's PTI is a key supporter of radical Deobandi-Wahhabi organizations.

قاضی حسین احمد کے تازہ کالم جس میں انہوں نے سعودی بادشاہ کی تعریف کی ہے اور اب دیوبندی اور اہل حدیث کے مولویوں کا سعودی بادشاہ کی حمایت میں نکلنا یہ ثابت کرتا ہے کہ منصورہ اور مدارس میں اصل پیسا آتا ہی سعودی عرب سے ہے

کراچی سے پشاور تک جتنے دیوبند مدارس ہیں سب کے سب طالبان کی حمایتی ہیں ،پچھلے دس سالوں میں خاص طور پر ان مدارس کو اربوں روپیہ ملا ہے ، دار العلوم کراچی ،جامعہ اشرف المدارس کراچی ،جامعہ بنوریہ ،جامعہ خیر المدارس ملتان ،جامعہ اشرافیہ لاہور اور بہت سے اہل حدیث اور دیوبند مدارس میں گزشتہ دس سالوں میں لاکھوں پیسا لگایا گیا اور بڑی بڑی الشان عمارت تعمیر ہوئے ہیں جس کا رنگ اور نقشہ ہو بہو سعودی طرز کا ہے آج تمام بڑے مفتی صاحبان ائر کنڈیشن میں رہتے ہیں اور بہترین گاڑیوں میں پھرتے ہیں ،ایک ایک مدرسے کا روزانہ کا خرچ لاکھوں میں ہوتا ہے جہاں پانی اور بجلی کا مسلہ بھی نہیں ہوتا اور بڑے بڑے سٹینڈ باے جنریٹر لگے ہوئے ہیں ، مزے کی بات یہ کہ لاہور کراچی اسلام آباد یا اور دوسرے بڑے شہروں میں جو مدارس ہیں اس میں وہاں کی مقامی آبادی نہیں پڑھتی بلکے صوبہ پختون خہ اور پنجاب کے سریکی علاقوں کے طالب علم ہوتے ہیں پر سوال یہ پیدا ہوتا ہے کہ ان مولویوں نے شہر کے بیچوں بیچ یہ مدارس کیوں تعمیر کیے ،اس کی وجہ اچھا بزنس کیس ہے

آج کل نوے فیصد طالب مدرس میں انے کی وجہ دو وقت کی روٹی اور اچھی رہائش ہے جو انہیں ان کے گاؤں میں نہیں مل پاتی ہے اس کے علاوہ بڑے مدارس میں طالبعلموں کو ماہانہ وظیف بھی ملتا ہے ،زیادہ تر طالب دینی رجحان کے بجاے دینی تعلیم ایک پیشے کے طور پر لیتے ہیں کہ سات سال پڑھ کی کسی مسجد کے امام بنیں گے یا کم از کم حفظ کرکے قاری اور موزن بن جائیں گے تو اچھا روزگار ہو جائے گا ،اس کے علاوہ طالبعلموں کے ذہن میں طالبان کا کمانڈر بھی بننا ہوتا ہے جس کے لیہ جہادی تنظیمیں ہوتی ہیں جہاں وہ جا کر جہادی پیشہ اختیار کر لیتا ہے

تمام مدارس کو اندر خانے فوج کی سپورٹ حاصل ہے اور یہ فوج کے پلان کا حصہ ہے ،تمام دیوبند مدارس کے منتظمین کی فوج کی اعلیٰ قیادت سے رابطے ہیں

آپ کسی بھی دیوبند مدرسے امن جا کر طالبعلموں سے پوچھ لیں وہ خودکش بم دھماکوں اور طالبان کی کھل کر حمایت کر رہے ہونگے اور جب علما سے پوچھا یہ گا تو وہ گول مول جواب دینگے ،انہی مدارس سے لشکر جھنگوی ،سپاہ صحابہ ،طالبان ،لشکر طیبہ نکلتی ہے پر وہاں کے استاد یہی کہتے ہیں کے مدارس میں کوئی ٹریننگ نہیں ہوتی .
پاکستان کو اگر دہشتگردی کی جنگ جیتنی ہے تو باھر سے آنے والے پیسے کو روکنا ہوگا

جماعت اسلامی چل ہی رہی ہے باھر کے اور کھالوں کے پیسے پر پر آج تک کسی صحافی انے یا سیاسی جماعت نے منصورہ کے آڈٹ یا اس کے اخراجات دیکھنے کی جرات نہیں کی

پہلے ایک مسجد کو تعمیر کرنے کے لیہ سالوں لگا کرتے تھے کیوں کے اس کے پیسے دینے والے مقامی لوگ ہوتے تھے آج بڑے بڑے الشان محلوں جیسے مدرسے چند دنوں میں بن رہے ہیں ان کا پیسا کیسے اور کہاں سے آرہا ہے حکومت کو پتا ہی نہیں ،یہ حکومت کی نا اہلی ہی ہے

مدارس پاکستان میں ایک انڈسٹری بن چکے ہیں اور یہ دہشتگردی اور مذہبی نفرتوں سے پروان چڑھ رہی ہے مدارس کے منتظمین کے اپنے بڑے بڑے بزنس ہیں مثال کے طور پر جامعہ اشرف المدارس کے حکیم مظھر صاحب جو ال اختر ٹرسٹ چلاتے تھے آج دبئی میں کنسٹرکشن کا بسنس کر رہے ہیں اور ان کے تعلقات فوج کے اعلیٰ افسران سے ہیں

by Zalaan

http://criticalppp.com/forum/topic.php?id=955

WikiLeaks on Saudi funding to Jamat-ud-dawa & Debandi Ulama (Dawn TV report, 22 May 2011)

Apropos to our historical and current events that point towards discriminatory and humiliating laws the State of Pakistan have devised by giving in to the Islamist pressure, it is an undeniable fact that despite constitutionally marginalizing our vulnerable communities and curtailing rights of all citizens in general, no citizen feels protected and secure with unchallenged armed onslaught by extremists allowed to roam freely in our neighborhoods. The Government of Pakistan had indeed declared certain sectarian/militant groups banned since 2002, however, these banned outfits continue to function in the mainstream unopposed and unchallenged. Further, they have become audacious enough to display arms in public in boastful gestures. This must also not exclude how their activities are harmful to us all in general as they are given a free hand at provoking sentiments through their calculated dissemination of hate-messages through exploitative use of loudspeakers and through written material calling for violence/Jihad against certain communities for their beliefs and religions that do not conform to their brand of Islam.

We also understand that Pakistan needs to maintain its important position in world politics, and that Pakistan has a huge responsibility to fulfill all of its international conventions on countering terrorism and also those concerning human rights situation here, and for all it to be condoned, appreciated and genuinely owned by the people of Pakistan, it is imperative for our establishment to prioritize their sincerity to citizens before defining the contentious “strategic interests” , a draconian policy historically aimed at appeasing the radical militant organizations at the cost of well-being, social harmony and economic progressiveness on equal footing for all segments of Pakistan’s populace.

We condemn this gross unjust attitude shown by our authorities for giving in to the militants as could be witnessed directly on Sunday’s so-called “Defense Rally’ at Minar e Pakistan.

Sunday witnessed the rebirth of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) as thousands of flags and weapons-waiving, SSP activists participated in the procession at Minar-e-Pakistan, contrary to the claims of Jamat-ud-dawa that the procession was aimed at discussing the ‘defence’ of Pakistan.

Not only their participation was allowed there, but seeing their presence and hijacking Minar e Pakistan, a monument that symbolized freedom for Pakistan, is an insult to the very essence of patriotism we adhere to our soil.

To explicitly cite the trouble:

A specific recurrent issue that has become a cause of our concern is the open incitement to religious violence by many groups that is openly engaged in declaring unlawful and unwarranted fatwas against our citizens. There are numerous examples to be found, like the unlawful activities of Khatm e Nubuwat religious groups. We demand that by definition of terrorism, these groups and their activities, that have not been reprimanded before should now be declared banned and contained with immediate effect. The more hate, bigotry and murder they unleash, more damaged we become as a nation.

It is undisputed that such groups are responsible to intimidate and pose direct threat to our vulnerable citizens, but also coerce other institutions, especially educational institutions, residential places, graveyards, villages etc. to expel them from mainstream. Activities as such, and the apathetic attitude of the State towards such growing extremism is our shameful reality that cannot, and should not be left ignored for long before it completely permeates our society with degenerating mindsets of our current and subsequent generations.

What can we do?

I, along with my friends invite you to join this page to express your views and also to sign it as a petition urging the government to take notice of growing extremism and vigilantism and to stress on the need to protect our minorities from these violent groups that have been let loose on us. The more we can get it signed, the better results we can get in making our case realistic. And for those of you residing in Lahore and you feel committed to this cause, please express your desire to take it forward. Your suggestions are always welcome.

I thank you for your patient reading. However, this is a matter not just of our national conscience, but of also of the future of our country.

Regards,

A Concerned Citizen.

Source:

Imran Khan dispatched a special message to ISI-backed rally led by two militant organizations.

Related post: Imran Khan’s PTI joins banned terrorist groups in pro-army rally in Lahore

Last month (Nov 2011), I was so hopeful after reading Imran Khan’s clear and bold stance against militant groups basd in Pakistan:

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said his party will ensure that no militant groups operate from Pakistani soil if it comes to power, but stopped short of committing himself to action against the Jamaatud Dawa, and its leader Hafiz Saeed due to the threat posed to politicians by extremists. According to a PTI (Press Trust of India) report, the head of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf party said it should be the country’s state policy to ensure that “there are no militant groups operating from within Pakistan”.

“As a policy, if the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf government comes to power, we will insist on there being no militant groups operating within Pakistan because the world has changed. The groups that were created during the Afghan Jihad, and this is now an outdated concept of having them as assets,” Mr Khan said in an interview with Karan Thapar for CNN-IBN’s “Devil’s Advocate” programme.

Mr Khan said the time had come “to not only remove all militant groups (and) disarm them” but also to work for the “de-weaponisation in Pakistan because it is causing massive problems within the country”.

Imran says he won’t allow any militant group to operate from Pakistan, Dawn, 14 Nov 2011

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/14/imran-says-he-wont-allow-any-militant-group-to-operate-from-pakistan.html

However, my hopes were soon dashed when I came to know that in the ISI-sponsored Defence of Pakistan rally (Lahore, 18 Dec 2011) led by a number of militant organizations including Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s Ahmed Ludhianvi, Imran Khan’s PTI participated and a special message by Imran Khan was read to the conference participants.

The Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC) is an anti-US and anti-India campaign run by Messrs General Hamidf Gul, Hafiz Saeed (LeT-JuD), Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi (LeJ-SSP) and Samiul Haq (JUI-Taliban), among others. Its Lahore rally was a pro-army establishment show or religio-political and militant organisations which provided an opportunity for several political light-weights to curry favour with the radical `40-party` front put up by the DPC. Sheikh Rashid was there, eager to enlist as a true Dawa follower. Ijazul Haq (General Ziaul Haq’s son) was in attendance as was Jamaat Islami`s Liaqat Baloch.

Most significantly, Imran Khan dispatched a close associate of his to read out a message on his behalf. This was not the first time PTI had been spotted at such a meeting. In the circumstances, the message took on stronger meaning.

Cyril Almeida writes:

It was an extraordinary spectacle in Minto Park at the foot of the Minar-i-Pakistan on Sunday: jihadists, sectarian warriors, orthodox mullahs, Islamic revivalists, all banding together under the banner of the Difaa-i-Pakistan Council (Pakistan Defence Council) and vowing to ‘defend’ Pakistan against external aggression.

Headlined by Hafiz Saeed, leader of the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), widely perceived as a front for the banned Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT), Sunday’s event was a massive show of right-wing strength and has come in the wake of a heightened public profile by the JuD in recent months.

Was the PDC rally, then, meant to signify the entry of Hafiz Saeed into national politics, though perhaps not of the electoral variety?

More broadly, does the PDC event suggest that the security establishment is once again lashing together reactionary and millenarian forces in pursuit of narrow institutional interests without heed to the dangers to state and society of such a move?

The Difaa-i-Pakistan (PDC), an umbrella group of 44 right-wing entities and personalities, has been reactivated in the wake of the Mohmand killings, suggesting an external agenda.

But critics also see a thinly veiled domestic political agenda behind the creation of the PDC, an attempt to create a right-wing grouping from which an MMA-style or perhaps even an IJI-style political front will emerge ahead of the next general election.

“We’re seeing a replay of 10 years ago. After 9/11, we saw the creation of the Pak-Afghan Defence Council. From there, the politicians in the group created the MMA while the hardcore jihadis went their own way,” said Nusrat Javeed, a veteran journalist.

Beyond the immediate purpose of cultivating the PDC as a buffer against American demands, analysts believe the right-wing alliance has a deeper political purpose.

“Like you have many windows open on the computer, the establishment has many windows open too,” Arif Nizami said. “So they have Imran Khan to collect all the establishment political types and now you have the PDC to gather together all the ultra-right types.”

“The ISI has unleashed its jihadis,” said Amir Mir, an expert on Islamic militancy in the region, adding, “Before Sunday’s rally, there had already been five rallies in November alone on the Mall (Lahore).”

The link between the PDC and the security establishment, according to Mir and other analysts, was as clear as anything can be in the otherwise murky nexus between the establishment and jihadi groups.

“Samiul Haq (of JUI-S), Hafiz Saeed, Ijazul Haq, Sheikh Rashid, all these people come from the agency circles,” Mir argued. “And look at their views on foreign policy, they’re nothing more than mouthpieces of the intelligence establishment.”

“See who is involved (in the PDC) and look at their past: they’ve never gone against the ISI and some of them are quite frank about it,” Suhail Waraich said. “Their platform is anti-US, anti-India, anti-present government, who does that suit?”

“The revival of the military-mullah alliance could be to squeeze the space for Zardari and the PPP, the N-League and the other nationalist parties in the provinces,” said Imtiaz Alam.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/21/rally-in-lahore-sends-alarm-bells-ringing.html

Imran Khan’s tacit-association with the ISI and his apparent association with right-wing groups, including militant groups, indicates that he, too, is a pragmatic, Machiavellian politician. For example, his message to foreign (Indian or Western audience) is usually different from his political message to his domestic audience. Further, despite his tall claims of being a Tsunami, he is an ordinary mortal being and is extremely fearful of militant creatures, such as Ajmal Kasab and Mumtaz Qadri.

For example:

When Thapar asked him about militant groups and whether Khan would denounce them, he answered broadly in the affirmative. But Thapar is not the usually naïve and unabashedly sick-of-democracy Pakistani television anchor. He proceeded to ask Khan whether Hafiz Saeed and Jamaat-ud-Daawa would be specifically mentioned. That was uncomfortable, for specifics are not conducive to Khan and his populism. Out came the reply which speaks volumes about the man and his philosophy. To paraphrase it Khan’s reply referred to Salmaan Taseer’s death about how the killer of a governor ‘becomes a hero’. Khan went on to say that Pakistan is the most polarised country in the world and that there is no point in being a hero in this country.

Waqqas Mir, Pakistan Today, 18 Dec 2011

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/12/more-on-khan/

However, when he was specifically asked if he would check the activities of Hafiz Saeed, blamed for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and his group JuD and its front organisations like the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, he did not commit himself to acting against these elements due to perceived fears posed by extremists.

“Look, I’m living in Pakistan. Pakistan at the moment is the most polarised country in the world. A governor gets shot, his assassin becomes a hero. There’s no point in becoming a hero right now in this country where there’s no rule of law,” he said, referring to the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.

“Life is very cheap here, so just let me make a policy statement. Don’t just go into details. As a policy statement, it should answer your question. No militant groups operating from within Pakistan,” he said.

Imran says he won’t allow any militant group to operate from Pakistan, Dawn, 14 Nov 2011

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/14/imran-says-he-wont-allow-any-militant-group-to-operate-from-pakistan.html

Related posts: Imran Khan’s Vice President Ejaz Chaudhry’s links with sectarian terrorists!

Imran Khan’s message to the Defence of Pakistan rally in Lahore – by Hakim Hazik

Imran Khan says he won’t allow any militant group to operate from Pakistan

Imran Khan’s Lahore rally offers no hope to Pakistan’s religious and ethnic minority groups

Sunday 18 December 2011 will be remembered as an important day in Pakistan’s history because Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) openly joined two banned terrorist organizations (Lashksar-e-Jhangvi and Lashkar-e-Taiba) in a pro-army rally clandestinely organized by Pakistani spy agency ISI. 

For those PTI supportors who are in denial about Imran Khan’s links with banned Jihadi groups, please refer to Daily Times, “SECOND EDITORAIL: Hate speech at a bigoted rally”  

On that day, a loose federation of Deobandi-Wahhabi religio-political organizations with known connections with Pakistan’s military establishment held a massive Difa-e-Pakistan rally (Defence of Pakistan Conference) to express support for Pakistan army and condemn “evil designs” of India, USA, Hindus, Ahmadis, Shias, Jews and the West in general.

Amongst others the rally was attended by the following radicalized Wahhabi/Salafi and Deobandi Jihado-sectarian groups: Jamiat Ahle-Hadith (Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer – Salafi/Wahhabi), Sipah-e-Sahaba /Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi – Deobandi), Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (Sami-ul-Haq – Deobandi), Jamaat-ud-Dawa/Lashkar-e-Taiba (Hafiz Muhammad Saeed – Salafi/Wahhabi), Jamaat-e-Islami (Liaquat Baloch – Deobandi), Inter Services Intelligence (General Hamid Gul – Salafi/Wahhabi) and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insasf (Imran Khan – Deobandi).

The conference was engineered by Pakistan Army / ISI in order to to pressurize the NATO and the USA and to mobilize Pakistan’s public opinion in support of Pakistan army. However, the conference was able to attract only a section of Deobandi and Wahhabi mullahs and madrassah students. The majority of Pakistan’s peaceful moderate Sunnis (Barelvis), Shias, Ahmadis, Christians etc did not participate in the conference.

Overall, the Difa-e-Pakistan Conference was a radicalized Deobandi-Wahhabi show of power on the behest of Pakistan army.

While Imran Khan could not attend the conference in person, his PTI workers participated in the conference and Imran Khan’s special message was read out on his behalf to the conference participants right before the Sipah-e-Sahaba leader Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi’s speech.

(2:20 Imran Khan’s message to the conference was read out by a PTI leader.)

Imran Khan and PTI’s participation along with at least two banned terrorist organizations, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP aka Lashkasr-e-Jhangvi LeJ) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT aka Jamat-ud-Dawa JuD), confirms his sectarian and jihadist tendencies.  While many of his elitest urban followers are in denial about his links and ideological ties to banned Jihado-sectarian organizations, they should pay heed to the fact that this incident is not a one off and cannot be denied away with one-sentence sweeping non-rebutals.  Here is another instance of PTI supporting a hate rally against the minority Ahmadi Muslims that took place earlier this year:

Imran Khan’s deputy from the Tehreek-e-Insaaf is here, Jamaat-ud-Daawa is here, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq is here. The first to speak is the PTI man. He says on behalf of Imran Khan (“Imran Khan ki taraf se…”) that the PTI will not tolerate any amendment to the blasphemy laws. (This is the opposite of what King Khan told his adoring British followers in The Guardian of London just a few weeks ago.) Quickly he moves from that to the Raymond Davis incident, saying that Muslims must also consider (in addition to theological issues) the very real dangers faced by poor people in Muslim societies today. This becomes a pattern: every speaker starts with the blasphemy law but ends with the American man’s killing of three people in Lahore. Source: Friday Times

Previously it has been documented that Imran Khan’s PTI and its various leaders (e.g. Vice President Ijaz Chaudhry) have close links with Sipah-e-Sahaba / Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Khatam-e-Nabuwat terrorists.

Here is a news report from Pakistan Today newspaper (18 Dec 2011):

Is the SSP out of the closet?

LAHORE – Sunday witnessed the rebirth of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) as thousands of flags and weapons-waiving, SSP activists participated in the procession at Minar-e-Pakistan, contrary to the claims of Jamat-ud-dawa that the procession was aimed at discussing the ‘defence’ of Pakistan. Whereas the cause of the procession was generally appreciated, even the participants raised their eyebrows at the presence of a banned organisation that has been accused of killing Shia Muslims inside the country. After its ban in 2002, Dafa-i-Pakistan Council’s Sunday rally was the first occasion on which the elements of SSP appeared on the scene and vowed their full support for the JD and their stance of ridding the country of the US.

Many religious clerics and madrassa students under the supervision of Almuhammadia Students Organisation of Pakistan were gathered on Sunday in the ground of Minar-e-Pakistan but the presence of members of banned organisation, armed was the main highlight of the evening. SSP’s activists accompanied JD workers on the city roads and encouraged people to attend the DPC’s rally. “It seems as if the government has lifted the ban from banned organisations. In the name of protesting against the NATO attacks, these organisations are being allowed to roam freely and this will lead to sectarian clashes,” said Zafer Ali, a student, adding that the government was making a mistake by allowing organisations like JD and SSP to function openly.

“Instead of giving a positive impression, clerics chose to call a banned organisation which came with weapons and flags. Even though the cause of the rally is a good one, but I smell danger because everyone will get the impression that the aim of the rally was to recruit terrorists,” said Usman, another citizen.

Members of the banned organisations were also seen tearing the billboards and posters of former dictator Pervaiz Musharraf at Nasir Bagh where a session was being held. They also raised slogans against him.

STUDENTS AVOID THE RALLY: Although a large number of madrassa students joined the procession at Minto Park, students of schools, colleges and universities abstained from it. According to sources, most students at the procession were forcefully brought from the religious madaris of Deoband, Ahl-e-hadis and Ahl-e-Sunat but the students from the universities and colleges could not be attracted. Source: Pakistan Today

Report by BBC Urdu

مینار پاکستان پر ہونے والے اس جلسے کا اہتمام دفاع پاکستان کونسل نامی تنظیم نے کیا تھا اور اس جلسے میں کالعدم تنظیموں کے کارکنوں کی بڑی تعداد نے شرکت کی۔ دفاع پاکستان کونسل نامی اس تنظیم میں مختلف مذہبی جماعتیں شامل ہیں تاہم اس جلسے کی تیاری اور انتظامات میں مذہبی تنظیم جماعت الدعوۃ پیش پیش تھی اور یہی وجہ تھی کہ جلسے گاہ میں سب سے بڑی تعداد میں جماعت الدعوۃ کے جھنڈے نظر آئے۔

کالعدم تنظیم سپاہ صحابہ پاکستان کے کارکنوں بڑی تعداد میں اس جلسے میں شرکت کرنے کے لیے صوبہ پنجاب کے مختلف علاقوں سے لاہور آئے تھے اور جماعت الدعوۃ کے علاوہ اس جلسے میں کالعدم تنظیم سپاہ صحابہ کے جھنڈے بھی نظر آ رہے تھے۔

جلسہ گاہ کے ارگرد جو بینرز لگائے گئے ان پر’بھارت کا جو یار ہے غدار ہے غدار ہے ، بھارت سے رشتہ کیا نفرت کا انتقام کا ، پاکستانی دریاؤں کےپانی پر قابض بھارت کا ایک ہی علاج الجہاد الجہاد‘ جیسی عبارتیں درج تھی۔
مقررین نے خبردار کیا کہ اگر نیٹو کی سپلائی لائن بحال گئی اور بھارت کو پسندیدہ ملک قرار دیکر واہگہ بارڈر کھولا گیا تو اس پر احتجاج کیا جائے گا۔

جلسے سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے جماعت الدعوۃ کے امیر حافظ سعید نے کہا کہ امریکی مہمان بن کر آئیں اور سفارتخانوں میں اپنا سفارتی کام کریں تو ان کی عزت کریں گے لیکن اگر وہ سڑکوں پر ہمارے لوگوں کو ماریں گے تو اس کی اجازت نہیں دیں گے۔ انہوں نے الزام لگایا کہ اسلام آباد میں بھارت کو پسندیدہ ملک قرار دینے کی سازشیں تیار ہو رہی ہیں اور بقول ان کے پارلیمنٹ سے ایسی کوئی قرارداد منظور نہیں ہونے دیں گے۔ خافظ سیعد نے مطالبہ کیا کہ شمسی ائیر بیس کی طرح دیگر اڈے بھی خالی کرائے جائیں۔

جمعیت علماء اسلام (س) کے سربراہ مولانا سمیع الحق نے جلسے کے اختتام پر شرکاء سے دفاع پاکستان کے لیے جہادی جذبے سے لڑنے کا حلف بھی لیا۔ انہوں نے اعلان کیا کہ دفاع پاکستان کونسل کا تیرہ جنوری کو راولپنڈی اور بائیس جنوری کو کراچی میں جلسہ ہوگا

جلسے کے خاص خاص مقررین میں جماعت اسلامی کے سیکرٹری جنرل لیاقت بلوچ، آئی ایس آئی کے سابق سربراہ جنرل حمید گل ، مسلم لیگ ضیاء کے اعجاز الحق اور اہلسنت والجماعت کے مولانا محمد احمد لدھونوی شامل تھے۔

Source: BBC Urdu

Xenophobic declaration of the conference

Leaders of terrorist organizations LeJ, LeT etc and their affiliates at the conference

Supporters of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan aka LeJ conspicuous due to their flags keenly listen to Imran-Khan’s anti-USA speech (previous occasion)

Sipah-e-Sahaba’s flags in Imran Khan’s anti-Drone rally

Pakistan has once again been beset with yet another terrorist attack undertaken by the frankensteins that are have been created and still being protected by the powerful security establishment. The day began with the news of two more Shias (both lawyers and brothers) being killed in Karachi by groups like Lashkar e Jhangvi that are allied to the Taliban and Al Qaeeda.

Karachi has also been the location of Imran Khan’s 2-day dharna whose attendance was bulked up the Jihadi groups allied to the Taliban like Sipah Sahaba and Laskhar Tayaba (renamed Jamat Dawa). The centrepiece of Imran’s dishonest political posturing is to condemn the killing of the Taliban by drones while blaming the 35,000 victims of Taliban violence on America and the elected government. In his harangues, Imran Khan is careful to avoid mentioning the double game being played by his political mentors and backers, the ISI. The ISI uses failed Islamist politicians like Imran Khan to highlight to the world that there is an alternate political force in the country aside from the PPP which they should accept now.

In the last few hours, it is not yet been confirmed if the situation is under control and if the terrorists killing Pakistan’s Navy engineers and personnel have been brought under control.

However, one thing is glaringly obvious. The security establishment’s continued support of the Taliban and of the use of violent Jihad as a tool of foreign policy needs to be scrapped. In this regard, the ISI has greatly weakened the elected government via its Judiciary and a media that takes its direction from ISPR has obfuscated the existential threat to Pakistan from violent religious extremism.

The world community needs to come to grips with the fact that the security establishment is unwilling to change its total support for the doctrine of “strategic depth” in Afghanistan and Kashmir via the Taliban. As the violent attacks clearly illustrate, the elected government is a hostage to this policy. Furthermore, a severely compromised media and an intellectually and morally degenerate intelligensia have created an enabling environment for the security establishment.

In the last 3 days, Pakistan’s largest corporate, feudal entity and the highest paid entity is busy promoting and supporting Taliban ideologues like Imran Khan to blackmail NATO. Instead of this, it should have been ensuring its own safety and that of the civilians for which it has been amply paid by the Pakistani tax payer.

By promoting Imran Khan’s dharna of Taliban activists and sympathizers, the security establishment has weakened itself and the Pakistani nation.  It is the establishment that has created utter confusion in the minds of ordinary Pakistanis and today, they are clueless as to who Pakistan’s real enemies are.  Instead, our educated elite are awash in conspiracy theories and a warped sense of nationalism.   For decades they have been fed concocted myths that define patriotism as a martial, supremacist and Salafist view of religion.  They have been brainwashed into glorifying murderers and this makes many of the educated elite more amenable to generals and failed Islamist politicians who fuse their discourse with false machismo. 

This most recent attack is a direct result of enabling the  religious extremists by events like Imran Khan’s dharna.

PML-N, PTI join JD in declaring bin Laden ‘martyr of Islam;’ JI leader says Hafiz Saeed is now leader of all religious parties

Related post: ISI mobilizes fake civil society to defend Pakistani generals

While Nawaz Sharif’s bold stance on an independent commission to investigate the circumstances in which Osama bin Laden was found in a compound in Abbottabad and also his stance on the accountability and non-political role of Pakistan army has to be appreciated, one cannot but notice the pro-establishment messages being sent out by some of his closest aides including Shahbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar and Javed Hashmi.

I suggest that Nawaz Sharif and his PML-N must remain sincere to their stance on the accountability and subservience to civilian government of the military generals, and that any pro-establishment toadies within the PML-N must be made to follow the party discipline.

See, for example, the following news item which suggests that some supporters and local leaders of PML-N participated in a JuD organized pro-Osama bin Laden rally in Lahore which was also attended by other right wing parties including PTI, JI, JUI etc. It is high time that PML-N must stop running with hare and hunting with hound.

“Osama bin Ladin is a martyr”: PML(N), JI & PTI participate in JuD rally in Lahore

Lahore - The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) teamed up with the outlawed Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) on Sunday to declare slain al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden the ‘martyr of Islam’ at the Istehkaam-e-Pakistan Caravan on The Mall.

The right-wing parties denounced the US interference in Pakistan’s affairs and held the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led federal government responsible for the Abbottabad operation but avoided criticising the military and intelligence agencies’ failure. Speakers demanded canceling the strategic partnership with the US, stopping drone attacks in FATA, freeing the Shamsi Airbase from US forces, canceling visas of Americans and deporting US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Mentor for allegedly committing blasphemy.

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed criticised the media for not declaring Osama a martyr. He said that Americans did not have the courage to present Osama in courts. “I challenge India to come to any court, I’ll prove that India and not Hafiz Saeed is a terrorist,” the JuD chief said. Saeed remained supportive of the military leadership and put all the blame on the federal government. He threatened India with dire consequences if it carried out strikes against Pakistan. JuD leaders Hamza and Abdul Rehman condemned the Indian demand of arresting Saeed and handing him over. “India should hand over Narendra Modi, Bal Thackeray and Colonel Perwaht to Pakistan because of their involvement in the Gujrat riots and Samjhota Express incident,” Hamza said. Quoting an unnamed general, he said that a group in the armed forces is ready to fight the US if ordered.

JI leader Farid Paracha said, “Saeed is not now a leader of the JuD only but of all religious parties of Pakistan.” He demanded making military training compulsory for all citizens.

PTI leader Ijaz Chaudhry said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan has been demanding US exit from the region for years. “Until the American leave, there will be no peace in our country,” he said. The JuD called for funeral prayers in absentia for Osama in all cities of Pakistan.

PML-N Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Naseer Bhutta, contrary to his party policy, spoke in favour of the military and said that they will never let the armed forces insulted in front of anyone.

Source: Pakistan Today

A the same time, one must not ignore or apologize for how President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and other leaders of the ruling PPP have offered an unconditional and shameful support to the military establishment in the aftermath of the Abbottabad Operation.

While I understand that the civilian government remains hostage to the Almighty Pakistani generals, I am unable to understand why there is not a single voice of criticism of Pakistan army even from a 2nd or 3rd tier PPP leader. See, for example, this shameless statement by Sharmila Farooqui:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Women Wing Sindh Information Secretary Sharmila Farooqui on Saturday asked the nation to support Pakistan’s Army, intelligence agencies and other defence institutions in view of prevailing situation to keep their morale high because the integrity and security of the country and its people lie in these institutions.

Reverting to the pro-establishment stance of some PML-N leaders, here is another troubling clue. Why are Ansar Abbasi and Hamid Mir, two patent friends of Pakistan’s military establishment, all praise for PML-N and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan? The pro-army resolution seems to be jointly drafted by the ISI and PML-N and shamelessly rubber stamped by the PPP, ANP and MQM.

Ansar Abbasi criticizes Zardari and Gilani, appreicates Chaudhry Nisar:

۔ توقع تو یہ تھی کہ ایبٹ آباد واقعہ کے بعد صدر آصف علی زرداری اور وزیراعظم یوسف رضا گیلانی قوم کے احساسات کی ترجمانی کرتے ہوئے سخت ترین الفاظ میں امریکا سے احتجاج کرینگے مگر ان دونوں نے امریکا کو مبارکباد دے ڈالی ۔ اس کو بڑی کامیابی اور قابل تحسین واقعہ قرار دیا۔ صدمہ میں گھری ہوئی قوم اپنے صدر اور وزیراعظم کے ردّعمل پر شرم سے پانی پانی ہو گئی۔ ان دونوں حضرات تک ہوتا تو پورا پاکستان اس ”عظیم کامیابی“ پر امریکا کے گن گاتا مگر اللہ کا شکر ہے کہ پاکستانی میڈیا نے عوامی جذبات کی ترجمانی کرتے ہوئے اُس قومی عزّت و وقار، خودمختاری اور سالمیت کی بات کی جس کی امریکا نے 2 مئی کو دھجیاں اڑا دیں۔ یہ پاکستان کے میڈیا کا کمال تھا کہ حکومت پاکستان کو عوامی توقعات کے مطابق اپنا ردّعمل بدلنا پڑا اور پاکستان کی عسکری قیادت کو پارلیمنٹ کے سامنے اپنی جوابدہی کرنی پڑی۔

سیاسی جماعتوں میں بلاشبہ پاکستان مسلم لیگ نے اس مسئلہ پر ایک واضح مؤقف اپنایا اور ایک ایسے کمیشن کے قیام کی بات کی جس کا مطالبہ آزاد میڈیا نے پہلے دن سے کرنا شروع کیا اور جس کا مقصد اس واقعہ کی ایماندارانہ انداز سے تحقیقات کرنا ہے تاکہ نہ صرف ذمہ داروں کا تعیّن کیا جا سکے بلکہ دفاعی اور انٹیلی جنس نظام میں ان خرابیوں اور خامیوں کی بھی نشاندہی کرنا ہے جس کی وجہ سے پاکستان کو ایبٹ آباد واقعہ کی وجہ سے پوری دنیا میں ہزیمت اٹھانا پڑی۔ گزشتہ جمعہ کے روز پاکستان کی پارلیمنٹ نے یک آواز ہو کر امریکا کے دو مئی کے اقدام کی پرزور مذمّت کرتے ہوئے پاک امریکا تعلقات کا ازسرنو جائزہ لینے کا مطالبہ کیا۔ متفقہ طور پر منظور کی گئی قرارداد میں پارلیمنٹ نے حق نمائندگی ادا کرتے ہوئے ڈرون حملوں کو فوری طور پر روکنے کی بات کی اور اس بات پر زور دیا کہ اگر ڈرون حملے نہیں رکتے اور اگر امریکا کی طرف سے دو مئی طرز کے واقعات کو دہرایا جاتا ہے تو پاکستان فوری طور پر افغانستان میں نیٹو فورسز کی سپلائی لائن بند کر دے۔

اس قرارداد میں ایبٹ آباد واقعہ کی تحقیقات کے لیے ایک اعلیٰ سطحی کمیشن بنانے کا بھی مطالبہ کیا گیا۔ اطلاعات کے مطابق اس قرارداد کو اس موجودہ شکل میں پاس کرانے میں قائد حزب اختلاف چوہدری نثار علی خان نے اہم کردار ادا کیا۔ وگرنہ حکومت ایک گول مول سی قرارداد لا کر پارلیمنٹ سے پاس کرانا چاہتی تھی تاکہ سب کی نوکریاں محفوظ رہیں اور امریکا بہادر بھی خوش رہے۔ پارلیمنٹ نے تو اکتوبر 2008ء میں بھی ایک متفقہ قرارداد کے ذریعے امریکی ڈرون اور امریکا نواز پالیسیوں کو ختم کرنے کی بات کی تھی مگر جمہوریت اور پارلیمنٹ کی بالادستی کی بات کرنے والے حکمران اس قرارداد پر عمل درآمد میں سب سے بڑی رکاوٹ بنے رہے۔

Hamid Mir appreciates Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan:

پارلیمنٹ کے مشترکہ اجلاس میں شریک حکومت اور اپوزیشن کے کئی ارکان نے مجھے کہا کہ 10 گھنٹے سے زیادہ دیر تک جاری رہنے والے اس اجلاس میں سب سے زیادہ خوبصورت تقریر جاوید ہاشمی کی تھی۔ جاوید ہاشمی نے عسکری قیادت سے کہا کہ تم لوگوں نے مجھے بہت مارا ہے‘ مجھے غداری کے مقدموں میں پھنسایا لیکن آج میں کوئی بدلہ نہیں لوں گا‘ پارلیمنٹ تمہاری ماں ہے‘ اس ماں کو تم سے ہر سوال پوچھنے کا حق ہے لیکن یہ ماں کسی غیر کو یہ حق نہیں دے گی کہ وہ تمہاری طرف انگلی اٹھائے۔

یہی وہ اسپرٹ ہے جس کے تحت پارلیمنٹ کا اجلاس ختم ہونے کے بعد آئی ایس آئی کے سربراہ لیفٹیننٹ جنرل احمد شجاع پاشا نے واپس جاتے ہوئے اپوزیشن لیڈر چوہدری نثار علی خان کے ساتھ ہنستے مسکراتے ہوئے معانقہ کیا۔ میں یہ بات ریکارڈ پر لانا چاہتاہوں کہ نثار صاحب کی خفیہ اداروں پر تنقید کی وجہ یہ قطعاً نہیں کہ کسی نے اُن کا کوئی ذاتی کام نہیں کیا۔ اجلاس میں یہ بات نہیں ہوئی۔ اُن کی تنقید کی وجہ صرف یہ ہے کہ ڈیڑھ سال قبل کچھ لوگوں نے اُن سے رابطہ کیا اور کہا کہ مسلم لیگ (ق) اور ایم کیو ایم کے ساتھ مل کر پیپلزپارٹی کی حکومت ختم کردیں۔ نثار صاحب کو وزارت عظمیٰ پیش کی جارہی تھی لیکن اُنہوں نے اپنے لیڈر نواز شریف کے ساتھ مشورے کے بعد اس پیش کش کو ٹھکرادیا۔ جس کے بعد پیش کش کرنے والے واپس پیپلزپارٹی کے قدموں میں جاگرے۔ نثار صاحب کو اُن کے ساتھیوں نے اس معاملے کی تفصیلات سامنے لانے سے روک رکھا ہے کیوں کہ اس وقت سی آئی اے اور آئی ایس آئی حالت جنگ میں ہیں۔ بہت مشکل سے عسکری قیادت اور پارلیمنٹ میں کئی غلط فہمیاں دور ہوئی ہیں

Apparently, three patent friends of the establishment, JUI-F, MQM and PML-N were most critical of the ISI chief in the in camera session of the parliament. Or was that an eye-wash? Was it yet another incident of a fixed match (Noora Kushti) between pro-ISI parties and the ISI?

Did General Pasha and Chaudhry Nisar exchange pleasantries in the end as they celebrated the pre-engineered “consensus resolution” which strongly condemns US violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty but remains completely silent on ISI’s Jihad Enterprise and collusion with Osama bin Laden! Of course, in the words of Danial Lakhnavi, “jahan panah, tussi great ho, tohfa qabul karo”, the script was neatly written and perfectly performed right from the beginning to the final finish!

Pro-Osama rally in Lahore by JuD, JI, PTI, PML-N, JUI and other Islamist parties

Activists of Pakistani Jamaat-ud-Dawa offer Muslim funeral prayers for Osama bin Laden on a street in Karachi on May 3, 2011. (Photo: ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)

[Supporters of the banned Islamic organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa embrace each other after taking part in a funeral prayer for al Qaida leader OBL in Karachi on Tuesday, May 3. "]

Supporters of JuD hold up their hands while shouting anti-American slogans before a symbolic funeral prayer for OBL in Karachi

The list of 49 most-wanted fugitives in Pakistan, handed over with dossiers by Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai to his counterpart Qamar Zaman Choudhary on March 28, 2011, has ex-majors Sajjid Majid aka Sajid Mir, the notorious Wasi Bhai who directed the head shot on Nariman House hostages, Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed aka Pasha, the handler of Indian Mujahideen through his Karachi Project, ex-SSG trooper Illyas Kashmiri, the handler of al-Qaida’ s 313 brigade, and two serving majors who handled LeT’s David Coleman Headley for the country’s secret services, ISI.

Although Lashkar-e-Toiba’s chief patron Hafiz Saeed tops the list of most-wanted — the rise of Sajjid Majid, Pasha, Kashmiri, Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali is understandable – but the fact remains all top five most-wanted were close to David Coleman Headley, particularly Pasha who ran the Indian Mujahideen project from Karachi.

According to India’s National Intelligence Agency’s report on Headley’s interrogation, there was intense rivalry between Sajjid Mir and Pasha as the Indian Mujahideen project bore fruit for the LeT. Headley believes that Sajjid Mir launched the 26/11 attack plan partly to upstage the Karachi project of Pasha. It was due to this reason that Pasha and Kashmiri became close to late Osama bin Laden post 2008 attacks and drifted away from LeT. Pasha, according to Headley, clashed with his ISI handlers too as he wanted LeT to target Americans in Afghanistan rather than Indian forces in Kashmir.

Top terrorist Sajjid Mir gained notoriety way back in 2001 while on deputation from Pakistan Army to train militants in LeT camps. He was the man who trained Frenchman Willie Brigitte in 2001 to wage jihad against the West. Abdur Rehman Syed sought voluntary retirement from 6th Baluch regiment of Pakistan Army to join LeT’s jihad against India. Illyas Kashmiri tasted blood in 1994 in India when he along with LSE educated-Mi-6 spy-jihadi Omar Sayeed Sheikh kidnapped four foreigners from Paharganj. While Omar Sayeed Sheikh was arrested by Ghaziabad police, Kashmiri (then known as Shahji) escaped from the police dragnet in Nizamuddin in Delhi.

The list of 49 is as follows (* denotes Pakistan national)

1. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed *

2. Sajjid Majid *

3. Syed Hashim Abdur Rehman Pasha*

4. Major Iqbal *

5. Ilyas Kashmiri *

6. Rashid Abdullah *

7. Major Sameer Ali *

8. Dawood Ibrahim

9. Memon Ibrahim

10. Chota Shakeel

11. Memon Abdul Razak

12. Anis Ibrahim

13. Anwar Ahmed Haji Jamal

14. Mohammed Dosa

15. Javed Chikna

16. Salim Abdul Ghazi

17. Riyaz Khatri

18. Munaf Halari

19. Mohammed Salim Mujhahid

20. Khan Bashir Ahmed

21. Yakub Yeda Khan

22. Mohammed Memon

23. Irfan Chaugule

24. Feroz Rashid Khan

25. Ali Moosa

26. Sagir Ali Shaikh

27. Aftab Batki

28. Maulana Mohammed Masood Azhar *

29. Salauddin

30. Azam Cheema *

31. Syed Zabiuddin Jabi

32. Ibrahim Athar *

33. Azhar Yusuf *

34. Zahur Ibrahim Mistri *

35. Akhtar Sayeed *
36. Mohammed Shakir *

37. Rauf Abdul *

38. Amanullah Khan *

39. Sufiyan Mufti

40. Nachan Akmal

41. Pathan Yaqoob Khan

42. CAM Bashir

43. Lakhbir Singh Rode

44. Paramjit Singh Pamma

45. Ranjit Singh

46. Wadhawa Singh

47. Abu Hamza *

48. Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi *

49. Amir Raza Khan

Source:

LUBP Archive on Hafiz Saeed

Hafiz Saeed makes public appearance, alongside an ex-PM, in Islamabad after over 2 years

The ISI-judiciary alliance and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa

Online factories of suicide bombers: An ISI production

JD chief, religious leaders back Kashmir movement – by Arshad Dogar

LAHORE: CHIEF of banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa Hafiz Saeed Ahmad has warned India to leave the held-Kashmir or get ready to face jihad by the Mujahideen of all religious organisations.

Addressing a large number of participants of a rally held on Kashmir Solidarity Day on The Mall on Saturday, Hafiz Saeed pledged to provide all-out moral, physical and financial support to Kashmiris in their legitimate right to self-determination being denied by India for the last 63 years by keeping Kashmir under unlawful and forcible occupation.

It is worth mentioning here that political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-N and the PPP badly failed to show their strength on Kashmir Solidarity Day as compared to Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The members of the PML-N and the PPP set up only stalls in front of the Punjab Assembly but failed to show strength of people on Kashmir issue.

Religious parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam, also joined the big solidarity show of Jamaat-ud-Dawa but none of the major political parties except Tehreek-e-Insaf participated in the rally.

The religious leaders have condemned the policy of Punjab and federal governments on Kashmir issue and asked them to learn a lesson from Egypt, Sudan and Tunisia.

Addressing the rally, Hafiz Saeed Ahmad said that the governments of Pakistan had been under international and Indian pressure on Kashmir issue for the last many decades. He said the decisions of Pakistani government were not public friendly which would result in uprising of Pakistanis like Egyptians, Tunisians and Sudanis.

Hafiz Saeed Ahmad while drawing the attention of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in his fiery speech said that Pakistani people were united with Kashmiris in their freedom movement and the show of people on The Mall was the same as on Lal Chowk in Sri Nagar.

The JD chief further claimed that India had tried its best to accuse him in Mumbai incident but it had badly failed to prove the accusations. He added that Indian government also tried hard to hide Samjhota Express conspiracy but even its secret agencies failed to do so.

Hafiz Saeed Ahmad warned Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh that America would not support India further as it, after facing defeat in Afghanistan and Egypt, had decided to call its troops back. Saeed said the 5th February of 2011 was very important for the occupied Kashmir as America and its allies had started facing historic defeats.

It was also said that the cause of Kashmir was affected during the 10 years regime of Pervez Musharraf due to his new formula but now once again the circumstances were taking fast U-turn and America would be unable to save India as it had failed in the case of Husni Mubarak and Zain-ul-Abideen.

“Leave Kashmir or face Ghazwa-e-Hind,” Hafiz Saeed warned India. Hafiz Saeed also rejected the misconception about Islam saying that Islam preaches peace and Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s mission was to bring about peace in the universe. He added that it was imperative for the Muslims to start jihad when enemies of Islam stood against it and Jamaat-ud-Dawa had the same principles. Hafiz Saeed said that he and his organisation was not against talks on Kashmir but as the history showed that India was doing politics of polarisation, now there was no way other than jihad.

“The way of defence, progress and survival goes through Kashmir and jihad for Kashmir will not only result in the freedom of the held-Kashmir but also supremacy of Islam,” concluded Hafiz Saeed Ahmad.

Addressing the rally, Maulana Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki said that the government of Pakistan should establish a ministry for jihad-e-Kashmir in new federal cabinet for resolving the issue of Kashmir. He added that the UN was no more a neutral institution as it was working under the command of America. He said Pakistani government should once again take strong stance on the issue of Kashmir. He also said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa would provide one million trained people to the proposed ministry of jihad besides providing budget for it.

The Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general on this occasion said that talks should not be initiated till India considered the held-Kashmir as disputed issue.

Jamaat-e-Islami, Lahore sector, leader Ameer-ul-Azeem, Kashmiri leader Shabir Shah, Rana Nasrullah, JUI leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Central Convener Jamaat-ud-Dawa Amir Hamza, Tehreek-e-Insaaf leader Malik Zaheer Abbas, Maulana Abdul Salam and Ghulam Muhammad Safi also addressed the rally.

Earlier, the rally started from Nasir Bagh and reached in front of Punjab Assembly. A large number of men, women and children participated in it. Children were wearing Jihadi dress and carrying toy guns. The participants of the rally were carrying flags inscribed with Kalima and monogram of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The Kashmiri leaders also resolved to continue their struggle for liberation of their motherland from the Indian occupation in order to reach their ultimate destination – Pakistan.

Source: The News February 06, 2011