NAWABSHAH, May 29: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Senator Khalid Mehmood Soomro believes that Osama bin Laden is still alive and says that Osama is not the name of a person but a symbol of an ideology. The Abbotabad operation, he said, was a planned “farce” staged by the United States to create a pretext to leave Afghanistan after suffering defeat. He said speaking at a seminar on “Islam and terrorism” held here on Sunday. He said he saluted Osama because he had the courage to challenge a superpower. Thousands of US agents were busy carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan to destablise the country, he said. Dr Soomro said Pakistan did not need American aid because it was rich in mineral and other natural resources. The suicide attackers who were killing innocent people, he said, were enemies of Islam, adding that the US and Israeli agents were carrying out suicide attacks in the country. Abdul Razzaq Abid Lakho said the JUI-F stood for peace because terrorism was forbidden in Islam. Maulvis were accused of being followers of the US but everyone now knew who were its agents, he said. The US was behind acts of terror and violence and it should be boycotted to eradicate terrorism, he said. At the seminar, Dr Soomro asked participants to raise the slogans of “Zinda Hay Osama zinda Hay” (Osama is alive) “Tum Kitnay Osama Maro Gay, Har Ghar Say Osama Nikle Ga”. Before asking people to raise the slogans, he warned the people present there whosoever failed to do so would cease to be a Muslim. REFERENCE: Osama is not dead: JUI-F senator By Our Correspondent | From the Newspaper (10 hours ago) Today http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/30/osama-is-not-dead-jui-f-senator.html
Ansar Abbasi [Jang Group] Exposes Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4hPJsAaqHI
Monday, May 30, 2011, Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1432 A.H
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/may2011-daily/30-05-2011/u72127.htm
PESHAWAR: Ameer Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said US is usurping freedom of the nations of the world through use of force, adding that all schools of though are agreed to the point that the ongoing war in country has killed many innocent people therefore it is against the teachings of Islam, Geo News reported. Addressing the convention of (JUI), Fazal said the feeling of fear has been imposed on the world and the Muslim countries are being specifically targeted. He said ulema and madaaris are being blamed for giving rise to terrorism and fanaticism. US’s intrusion into Afghanistan has given rise to terrorism in this region, he said warning that if the views of his party are neglected so national reconciliation and democracy will not be promoted. REFERENCE: Killing innocents anti-Islamic: Fazal Updated at: 1842 PST, Sunday, May 29, 2011 http://www.geo.tv/5-29-2011/81892.htm
US National Taliban Azam Khan Swati (JUI) Condemns Osama Bin Laden
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L74u09DFvA
ISLAMABAD: The Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam wants a political outfit with known sectarian credentials to be part of a proposed realignment of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). Just a week ahead of a crucial meeting in Lahore to revive the alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman proposed that the Ahl-i-Sunnat Waljamaat (ASW) — the political wing of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) — should be part of the alliance. This can spoil the JUI-F’s efforts to reunify the MMA. The ASW, headed by former SSP leader Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, still enjoys considerable influence in Deobandi religious seminaries all over Pakistan. “The Maulana says their presence in the alliance will make it more vibrant,” a top leader of his JUI said here on Sunday. Some recent media reports suggested that the Maulana was willing to quit the ruling coalition if the other five parties agreed to revive the alliance that was unlinked ahead of the 2008 general polls. But the new scenario indicates he may not be able to do so. An official of the JUI-F said that Maulana Ludhianvi was invited to take part in a meeting in this regard in Lahore on June 13. Talking to this correspondent from central Punjab over phone, Maulana Ludhianvi denied ever having been invited.
Asked whether he would like to be part of the MMA, he said: “If they want to make a political alliance and Sajid Naqvi is there, I will not (be part of it).”Allama Sajid Naqvi is heading a Shia group in the alliance. Naqvi said if the alliance’s original manifesto is to be followed, it is impossible to increase the number of political parties in the alliance without the approval of all parties forming the group. “Maulana (Fazl) can’t do that,” he said. About the ASW, Naqvi said if the alliance’s original manifesto is followed, the group’s insistence on anti-Shia ideology disqualifies it from MMA membership. Experts believe Maulana doesn’t want to leave the government, but at the same time does not want to be labelled as a spoiler by his followers at seminaries. An analyst said that this is the only reason for his insistence for the inclusion of the ASW in the alliance. He said that he knows that consensus can never be developed on such a suggestion. The Shia community as well as three schools of Sunni thought—Deobandi, Barelvi and Ahl-Hadith—are represented in the MMA.Published in the Express Tribune, June 8th, 2010. REFERENCE: JUI-F eyes sectarian outfit in MMA By Zia Khan Published: June 8, 2010 http://tribune.com.pk/story/19659/jui-f-eyes-sectarian-outfit-in-mma/
Deobandi Azam Khan Swati Funded War on Terror
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZqhFmxV40g
KARACHI: The files of every Pakistani detainee held at Guantanamo were released by WikiLeaks on Thursday which reveal the linkages between political and religious leaders calling on Pakistanis to join the ‘jihad’ in Afghanistan. In their assessments, detainees pointed to public speeches made at rallies by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman. In one detainee’s file, JUI was assessed to be a ‘terrorist organisation’ that operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The JI is listed as an associated force with which the al Qaeda or the Taliban have or had a relationship. Qazi and Fazl were cited as holding “organised public rallies for the purpose of soliciting supporters and volunteers to participate in the jihad against the US and northern alliance”. While most detainees appeared to have been recruited by the Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HUJI), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad, others had gone to Afghanistan to look for work and were recruited by the Taliban as cooks and drivers. One detainee said he had decided to “leave for jihad in Afghanistan after hearing Mufti Atique speak in Karachi in late September 2001”.
The role of the alleged ‘rogue’ ISI units in detaining suspects at Guantanamo Bay and in the fighting in Afghanistan has been stated by several detainees, and was evident in the release of new files by the WikiLeaks. Detainee Ziaul Shah told authorities that his direct supervisor in the Afghan Taliban was a man named Qari Saleem, who may have been Qari Saleem Ahmed, the commander of the ‘Taliban Punjabi’ force in Kunduz. He was reportedly arrested around 1999 for being a member of the Harkatul Mujahideen, HUJI and LeT with “connections to subversive elements of the ISI”. Aminullah Amin, who said he had been arrested from a sidewalk café in Chaman in December 2001, told Guantanamo authorities that he could have bought his release for Rs100,000 from the ISI since it was common knowledge that many of the Taliban had paid off the ISI in order to be freed, and that the ISI solicited and accepted bribes from prisoners. Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2011. REFERENCE: WikiLeaks: Gitmo authorities believed JUI was a terrorist organisation Published: April 29, 2011 http://tribune.com.pk/story/158956/wikileaks-gitmo-authorities-believed-jui-was-a-terrorist-organisation/
Corrupt Deobandi Maulana Fazlur Rehman is Exposed (Wiki Leaks)
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVVyU7DPjF0
Intelligence reports published on WikiLeaks point to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) faction leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman as a figure involved in the Afghan insurgency. WikiLeaks – The role of JUI-F One report, filed on February 27, 2004, implicates Rehman even though his name and the party’s name are misspelled. Most of the reports on WikiLeaks are written in military jargon and names are spelled phonetically. The report alleges that Rehman was involved in funding propaganda and assassinations. According to the report, the leader was “paying unidentified individuals in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, AF to distribute propaganda in a letter/note form.” It further states that the propaganda being spread was against countries involved in the Afghan war, and that it came with a monetary incentive. “The propaganda mentions how host nation commanders that work with US forces, are the same as Americans; therefore, they should die. Each letter offers an unspecified amount of money for the death of host nation commanders and Americans. The letters are placed at the homes of individuals who are known to work with Americans.” According to The New York Times, 17 foreign contractors and aid workers were killed in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2004, while 15 to 20 soldiers had been killed by the Taliban in Helmand alone. Another report published by WikiLeaks also cites the JUI but does not mention which faction of the political party was involved. Dated August 10, 2004, the report details an attack that took place the same day.
“One of the food for work daily labourers guarding road construction tools on the road that Mission East is building to Chal from Taluqan, was attacked by three men. He was beaten and hung upside down by rope around his feet, threatened, and 3,000 Afghanis were stolen from him. He was also asked why he was working for an international organisation and warned not to do so. The victim said the three men were from the local area. The attack took place near the village of Tally. This is where mullahs from Jamiatula Olama (sic), Pakistan, had recently been preaching against the government, UN, NGOs and the road construction project to Chal.” There are dozens of instances recorded in the WikiLeaks files of propaganda and threatening letters, which are received by educationists and government officials among others. They form a pattern of intimidation that is used by the Taliban to deter Afghans from supporting the US and allied forces, and as this report shows, are linked to militant activities.
Fazlur Rehman’s militant links
The JUI-F is cited as one of the key groups that supported the mujahideen in the 1980s and along with other figures such as Mullah Mohammad Omar, Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, the party was a lynchpin of the movement that would see thousands of young men enrol in ‘jihad’. According to experts, the JUI-F was not just involved on an ideological level but also provided the networks and physical support in the form of graduates who would fight in Afghanistan. The madrassahs set up by the JUI-F became a breeding ground for young men who were recruited by the Afghan mujahideen. Their associates have gained greater notoriety, as several key leaders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been associated with the JUI-F madrassahs, including Waliur Rehman. According to analysts, the JUI-F still has a presence in the decision-making process of Afghan insurgents, and maintains close ties to the Haqqani network. Khadim Hussain from the Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy says that “While Fazlur Rehman is not personally active; he does direct his close associates and confidantes who are represented on the shuras in Waziristan and Quetta and are involved with the decision-making process.” JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman is widely known to hold strong anti-American views, and was one of the leading opponents of the war in Afghanistan. As a result, he was placed under house arrest in 2001 for inciting people against the armed forces and attempting to overthrow the government, but was released in 2002. Two years after his release, Rehman’s party was part of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) coalition group that formed the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The MMA government’s reign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was marred with controversy, as they put an end to cultural activities, sought to implement Shariah law in the province, and were known for their vocal stance against the US. In a 2003 interview with Newsline magazine, Rehman denied that religious parties in Pakistan were following the Taliban’s lead. “The Taliban were misrepresented,” he said. “Their system was an ideal Islamic system, but they were trying to implement it by force.” The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) is also an ally of the current Pakistan Peoples Party-led government. Fazlur Rehman built his ties with the PPP during Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure as prime minister and also served as chairman of the foreign relations committee in the National Assembly. Fazlur Rehman could not be reached for a comment. Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2010. REFERENCE: WikiLeaks: The Fazlur Rehman connection By Saba Imtiaz Published: August 6, 2010 http://tribune.com.pk/story/36696/wikileaks-the-fazlur-rehman-connection/
Maulana Fazl ur Rahman Got Angry In Lekin (GEO TV)
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Md-yEwMHKE
ISLAMABAD: Against his public perception of being an anti-American, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is reflected in a cable released by WikiLeaks as a frequent and cooperative American interlocutor, who professes his support for cooperation with the United States. The JUI-F leader has been described in the secret US cable as “more politician than mulla”, and “a frequent and cooperative interlocutor” with the post (US Embassy Islamabad). The Maulana is also shown as professing his “support for cooperation with the United States.” US embassy’s CDA Peter Bodde wrote in his April 3, 2008 cable, released by WikiLeaks, that Rehman, more politician than mulla, has been a prominent and legitimate figure in Pakistani politics since the 1980s. He “has publicly denounced terrorist attacks, but prefers to use negotiations rather than military force against militants. Although he is known to have contacts with Taliban and their sympathisers, he has negotiated with religious militants on the government’s behalf, garnering him criticism from the more hard-line religious sectors.” The primary purpose of the message was to request the FBI to recall information about Fazlur Rehman, which indicated that an individual “Fasilur Rehman” believed to be associated with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is behind the March 2008 bombing in Islamabad. The cable said that the information suggests that Fasilur Rehman refers to political party leader Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F. The embassy “requests that FBI recall this information from all hardcopy and database records due to discrepancies and errors in the report.” It noted that prominent Pakistan politician Fazlur Rehman is not associated with the JI, but instead leads his own political party, the JUI-F. From 2002-2007, the two parties allied with other religious parties in the coalition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). However, the JUI-F and JI retained separate leadership structures as well as separate political objectives and methods, it said. REFERENCE: Fazl keeps regular contact with US embassy, says cable By Ansar Abbasi Tuesday, December 07, 2010 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2507&Cat=13Ansar Abbasi [JANG GROUP] Exposes MMA & Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F ) Part 1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY_bzRnLWwk
The cable said that Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F is a conservative Deobandi religious party that has recently joined the new Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led government. The JI is a religious party that appeals to a narrow sector of the educated, conservative urban middle class. JI, which has a vibrant student wing, began as a movement for social change based on Sharia. “The JI party policy does not support violence as a means to achieve their political agenda, however, the party quietly has supported Jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir by providing recruits from their student corps. The party does not support violence perpetuated within Pakistan, such as the recent attack on the restaurant in Islamabad. In addition, Fasilur Rehman and Fazlur Rehman are extremely common Pakistani names, making it impossible to accurately identify the individual with the prominent JUI-F politician.” In an earlier cable, the WikiLeaks showed the Maulana approaching the then US Ambassador Anne Patterson to become the Prime Minister. It was revealed that the leader of the country’s most fiercely pro-Taliban religious party, hosted a jovial dinner for Patterson at which the Maulana sought her backing to become prime minister and expressed a desire to visit America. Maulana-like Maulana’s lieutenant Abdul Ghafoor Haideri acknowledged that “All important parties in Pakistan had to get the approval of the US (to get power).” REFERENCE: Fazl keeps regular contact with US embassy, says cable By Ansar Abbasi Tuesday, December 07, 2010 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=2507&Cat=13Ansar Abbasi [JANG GROUP] Exposes MMA & Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F ) Part 2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKDkfGhkfRo
"QUOTE"
2009: Was Qaddafi funding Sipahe Sahaba?From the Newspaper May 26, 2011 (4 days ago)
197977 3/20/2009 10:51 09LAHORE54 Consulate Lahore SECRET “O 201051Z MAR 09FM AMCONSUL LAHORETO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3966INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATEAMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITYAMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITYAMEMBASSY KABULAMEMBASSY NEW DELHIAMEMBASSY LONDONCIA WASHDCJOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DCNATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DCSECDEF WASHINGTON DCUSCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FLAMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITYAMCONSUL LAHORE“ “S E C R E T LAHORE 000054E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/18/2034TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PKSUBJECT: SIPAH-E-SAHABA STEPS UP ACTIVITIES IN FAISALABADCLASSIFIED BY: Bryan D. Hunt, Principal Officer, American Consulate Lahore, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)
1. (S) Summary: A well-placed Deobandi religious leader told Principal Officer in a meeting on March 18 that extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) was increasing its activities in the central Punjab city of Faisalabad, the province’s second largest, in collaboration with elements of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and a splinter group from the banned terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The cleric reported that SSP had recently launched a pamphlet campaign across the city in which it called for people to take steps to enforce Islamic law including:
(1) cease business and social activities at the five daily calls to prayer,
(2) remove all sources of “”vulgarity”" such as televisions, cd players, and radios from their homes,
(3) seek dispute resolution through local imams rather than the courts,
(4) take Friday rather than Sunday as the weekly holiday, and
(4) strictly enforce purdah for female family members.
The pamphlet states that it comes from SSP with support from the TTP and specifically praises “”the enforcement of Sharia in Swat”" and recommends it as a model for Faisalabad. According the religious scholar, a number of girls’ educational institutions in Faisalabad have received letters stating that if they fail to observe purdah, they could be attacked by suicide bombers. The cleric surmised that SSP activities would increase in Faisalabad on the return of its leader Maulana Ludhianvi from a Libyan-government sponsored trip to that country. End Summary.
2. (S) Leading Faisalabad-based Deobandi scholar and IVLP alumnus Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX called on the Principal Officer on March 18 to discuss his concerns regarding what he termed as “”growing extremist activity”" in Punjab’s second-largest city Faisalabad. XXXXXXXXXXXX claimed that in the last month he has observed a dramatic increase in propaganda activities from Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). He believed that this increase coincided with a number of visits to Faisalabad from activists both of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and a splinter group from the southern Punjab-based Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). XXXXXXXXXXXX believed that the activists were involved in recruiting for TTP militant operations in the FATA and NWFP through madrassas in southern Punjab and hoped to replicate that success in Faisalabad. XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that SSP leaders had long-standing ties with JeM, as both were Deobandi organizations that had collaborated in the past in anti-Shia and anti-India activities.
3. (S) XXXXXXXXXXXX shared with Principal Officer an Urdu-language sticker that he claimed he had confiscated from several of his madrassa students in Faisalabad. The sticker, which he stated was also being printed and distributed as a pamphlet, praised the implementation of Sharia law in Swat and exhorted Muslims to pursue the same sort of Sharia law in Faisalabad. It then recounted five steps that every Faisalabad based Muslim should take to begin the process of implementation in the district. The steps were: :
(1) cease business and social activities at the five daily calls to prayer,
(2) remove all sources of “”vulgarity”" such as televisions, cd players, and radios from their homes,
(3) seek dispute resolution through local imams rather than the courts, (4) take Friday rather than Sunday as the weekly holiday, and
(4) strictly enforce purdah for female family members.
4. (S) Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX told Principal Officer that he had initially dismissed the pamphlet campaign, but became increasingly concerned after learning of specific threats received by several girls’ schools (NFI) in Faisalabad. He claimed that these schools had received letters sent from SSP, referencing the situation in Swat, and warning that if these schools did not begin having their students observe complete purdah, the schools could be the target of violence, including suicide bombing. Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX did not produce a copy of the threat letter. Principal Officer inquired whether any violence had yet occurred in Faisalabad in connection with the SSP campaign. Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX responded that to his knowledge it had not, but he believed that it could occur in short order if police did not check SSP activities.
5. (S) Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX noted that in addition to its pamphlet campaign, SSP had organized a number of traditional religious conferences in Faisalabad during the Islamic month of Rabwa (currently ongoing). Traditionally such conferences are organized in this month of the Prophet’s birth to discuss the model life that the Prophet lead and to exhort Muslims to follow his example. According to Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX, this year during the SSP conferences, the organizers have exhorted attendees to follow the Prophet’s example and press for the adoption of complete shariah law in Faisalabad, using Swat as a model. These exhortations specifically call for action against vulgarity and women not observing purdah. In one case, Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX claimed that he learned that leaders of the recently banned al-Rashid Trust were coming to address a March 8 SSP conference. He stated that he had informed the District Police Officer, who cancelled the event.
6. (S) Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX shared that he had received reliable information that SSP leader Maulana Ludhianvi was on a fundraising trip to Tripoli sponsored by the Libyan government. XXXXXXXXXXXX claimed that Ludhianvi had made contact with Libyan officials in the guise of working against Iran and Shia agents in Pakistan. (Note: SSP was originally founded as a violent anti-Shia organization and has, in the past, received extensive foreign funding from a variety of Sunni states, including Saudi Arabia. End Note). According to XXXXXXXXXXXX, Ludhianvi was scheduled to return to Pakistan in “”a few days”" and was bringing with him a “”donation”" from the Libyan government valued at nearly 25 million Pakistani rupees (approximately $312,000) that XXXXXXXXXXXX was certain would be used to increase further SSP activities.
7. (S) Comment: Maulana XXXXXXXXXXXX is a long-standing contact of Consulate Lahore, who visited the United States in XXXXXXXXXXXX as part of our International Visitor Leadership Program. XXXXXXXXXXXX repeatedly credits his trip to the United States and particularly his discussions with Muslim leaders there for changing his previously anti-Western views. XXXXXXXXXXXX has numerous ties within the broader Deobandi community and is well-positioned to obtain information on activities of Deobandi-linked terrorist/extremist groups such as SSP and JeM. He has not/not previously shared such extensive information with post about these groups’ activities in Faisalabad. Post believes he has done so on this occasion largely out of concern for his and other moderate Deobandi leaders’ safety if these groups expand activities in Faislabad. The significant decline in the Pakistani textile industry and accompanying large-scale lay-offs in Faisalabad –the center of that industry in Punjab – provides groups like SSP with a ready pool of unemployed recruits, who are susceptible to these groups’ rhetoric about an Islamic utopia based on Sharia and prepared to engage in violence to bring it about.
End Comment.
HUNT
“2009: Was Qaddafi funding Sipahe Sahaba?From the Newspaper May 26, 2011 (4 days ago)
"UNQUOTE"
Ansar Abbasi [JANG GROUP] Exposes MMA & Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F ) Part 3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGoR-yZJUFg
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGoR-yZJUFg
"QUOTE"
2008: Extremist recruitment on the rise in south Punjab madrassahsDAWN.COM May 22, 2011 (2 weeks ago) http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/2008-extremist-recruitment-on-the-rise-in-south-punjab-madrassahs.html Saudi Arabia, UAE financing extremism in south Punjab By Qurat ul ain Siddiqui | From the Newspaper May 22, 2011 (2 weeks ago) http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/saudi-arabia-uae-financing-extremism-in-south-punjab.html
178082 11/13/2008 10:30 08LAHORE302 Consulate Lahore SECRET//NOFORN “ACTION SCA-00
O 131030Z NOV 08
FM AMCONSUL LAHORE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3818
INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY
AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
AMEMBASSY KABUL
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
CIA WASHDC
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
AMCONSUL LAHORE
” “S E C R E T LAHORE 000302
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2018
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, KISL, PK
SUBJECT: (S/NF) EXTREMIST RECRUITMENT ON THE RISE IN SOUTHERN PUNJAB
Derived from: DSCG 05-1, B,D
1. (S/NF) Summary: During recent trips to southern Punjab, Principal Officer was repeatedly told that a sophisticated jihadi recruitment network had been developed in the Multan, Bahawalpur, and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions. The network reportedly exploited worsening poverty in these areas of the province to recruit children into the divisions’ growing Deobandi and Ahl-eHadith madrassa network from which they were indoctrinated into jihadi philosophy, deployed to regional training/indoctrination centers, and ultimately sent to terrorist training camps in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Locals believed that charitable activities being carried out by Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith organizations, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, and Jaish-e-Mohammad were further strengthening reliance on extremist groups and minimizing the importance of traditionally moderate Sufi religious leaders in these communities. Government and non-governmental sources claimed that financial support estimated at nearly 100 million USD annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith clerics in the region from “”missionary”" and “”Islamic charitable”" organizations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments. Locals repeatedly requested USG support for socio-economic development and the promotion of moderate religious leaders in the region as a direct counter to the growing extremist threat. End Summary.
2. (S/NF) During a recent visit to the southern Punjabi cities of Multan and Bahawalpur, Principal Officer’s discussions with religious, political, and civil society leaders were dominated by discussions of the perceived growing extremist threat in Seraiki and Baloch areas in southern and western Punjab. Interlocutors repeatedly stressed that recruitment activities by extremist religious organizations, particularly among young men between the ages of 8 and 15, had increased dramatically over the last year. Locals blamed the trend on a strengthening network of Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith mosques and madrassas, which they claimed had grown exponentially since late 2005. Such growth was repeatedly attributed to an influx of “”Islamic charity”" that originally reached Pakistani pseudo-religious organizations, such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Al-Khidmat foundation, as relief for earthquake victims in Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province. Locals believe that a portion of these funds was siphoned to Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith clerics in southern and western Punjab in order to expand these sects’ presence in a traditionally hostile, but potentially fruitful, recruiting ground. The initial success of establishing madrassas and mosques in these areas led to subsequent annual “”donations”" to these same clerics, originating in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The value of such donations was uncertain, although most interlocutors believed that it was in the region of $100 million annually.
3. (S/NF) According to local interlocutors, current recruitment activities generally exploit families with multiple children, particularly those facing severe financial difficulties in light of inflation, poor crop yields, and growing unemployment in both urban and rural areas in the southern and western Punjab. Oftentimes, these families are identified and initially approached/assisted by ostensibly “”charitable”" organizations including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (a front for designated foreign terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyaba), the Al-Khidmat Foundation (linked to religious political party Jamaat-e-Islami), or Jaish-e-Mohammad (a charitable front for the designated foreign terrorist organization of the same name).
4. (S/NF) The local Deobandi or Ahl-e-Hadith maulana will generally be introduced to the family through these organizations. He will work to convince the parents that their poverty is a direct result of their family’s deviation from “”the true path of Islam”" through “”idolatrous”" worship at local Sufi shrines and/or with local Sufi Peers. The maulana suggests that the quickest way to return to “”favor”" would be to devote the lives of one or two of their sons to Islam. The maulana will offer to educate these children at his madrassa and to find them employment in the service of Islam. The concept of “”martyrdom”" is often discussed and the family is promised that if their sons are “”martyred”" both the sons and the family will attain “”salvation”" and the family will obtain God’s favor in this life, as well. An immediate cash payment is finally made to the parents to compensate the family for its “”sacrifice”" to Islam. Local sources claim that the current average rate is approximately Rps. 500,000 (approximately USD 6500) per son. A small number of Ahl-e-Hadith clerics in Dera Ghazi Khan district are reportedly recruiting daughters as well.
5. (S/NF) The path following recruitment depends upon the age of the child involved. Younger children (between 8 and 12) seem to be favored. These children are sent to a comparatively small, extremist Deobandi or Ahl-e-Hadith madrassa in southern or western Punjab generally several hours from their family home. Locals were uncertain as to the exact number of madrassas used for this initial indoctrination purpose, although they believed that with the recent expansion, they could number up to 200. These madrassas are generally in isolated areas and are kept small enough (under 100 students) so as not to draw significant attention. At these madrassas, children are denied contact with the outside world and taught sectarian extremism, hatred for non-Muslims, and anti-Western/anti-Pakistan government philosophy. Contact between students and families is forbidden, although the recruiting maulana periodically visits the families with reports full of praise for their sons’ progress. “”Graduates”" from these madrassas are either (1) employed as Deobandi/Ahl-e-Hadith clerics or madrassa teachers or (2) sent on to local indoctrination camps for jihad. Teachers at the madrassa appear to make the decision based on their read of the child’s willingness to engage in violence and acceptance of jihadi culture versus his utility as an effective proponent of Deobandi or Ahl-e-Hadith ideology/recruiter.
6. (S/NF) Children recruited at an older age and “”graduates”" chosen for jihad proceed to more sophisticated indoctrination camps focused on the need for violence and terrorism against the Pakistan government and the West. Locals identified three centers reportedly used for this purpose. The most prominent of these is a large complex that ostensibly has been built at Khitarjee (sp?). Locals placed this site in Bahawalpur District on the Sutlej River north of the village of Ahmedpur East at the border of the districts of Multan, Bahawalpur, and Lodhran. The second complex is a newly built “”madrassa”" on the outskirts of Bahawalpur city headed by a devotee of Jaish-e-Mohammad leader Maulana Masood Azhar identified only as Maulana Al-Hajii (NFI). The third complex is an Ahl-e-Hadith site on the outskirts of Dera Ghazi Khan city about which very limited information was available. Locals asserted that these sites were primarily used for indoctrination and very limited military/terrorist tactic training. They claimed that following several months of indoctrination at these centers youth 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. Many worried that these youth would eventually return to try and impose their extremist version of Islam in the southern and western Punjab and/or to carry out operations in these areas.
7. (S/NF) Interlocutors repeatedly chastised the government for its failure to act decisively against indoctrination centers, extremist madrassas, or known prominent leaders such as Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Masood Azhar. One leading Sufi scholar and a Member of the Provincial Assembly informed Principal Officer that he had personally provided large amounts of information on the location of these centers, madrassas, and personalities to provincial and national leaders, as well as the local police. He was repeatedly told that “”plans”" to deal with the threat were being “”evolved”" but that direct confrontation was considered “”too dangerous.”" The Bahawalpur District Nazim told Principal Officer that he had repeatedly highlighted the growing threat to the provincial and federal governments but had received no support in dealing with it. He blamed politics, stating that unless he was willing to switch parties — he is currently with the Pakistan Muslim League — neither the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz provincial nor the Pakistan Peoples Party federal governments would take his requests seriously. The brother of the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, and a noted Brailvi/Sufi scholar in his own right, Allama Qasmi blamed government intransigence on a culture that rewarded political deals with religious extremists. He stressed that even if political will could be found, the bureaucracy in the Religious Affairs, Education, and Defense Ministries remained dominated by Zia-ul-Haq appointees who favored the Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith religious philosophies. This bureaucracy, Qasmi claimed, had repeatedly blocked his brother’s efforts to push policy in a different direction.
8. (S/NF) Interlocutors repeatedly requested USG assistance for the southern and western Punjab, believing that an influx of western funds could counter the influence of Deobandi/Ahl-e-Hadith clerics. Principal Officer was repeatedly reminded that these religious philosophies were alien to the southern and western Punjab — which is the spiritual heartland of South Asia’s Sufi communities. Their increasing prominence was directly attributed to poverty and external funding. Locals believed that socio-economic development programs, particularly in education, agriculture, and employment generation, would have a direct, long-term impact in minimizing receptivity to extremist movements. Similarly, they pressed for immediate relief efforts — particularly food distribution and income support — to address communities’ immediate needs. Several interlocutors also encouraged direct USG support to Brailvi/Sufi religious institutions, arguing that these represented the logical antithesis to Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith philosophy and that if adequately funded, they could stem the tide of converts away from their moderate beliefs.
Comment
9. (S/NF) A jihadi recruiting network relying on Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith religious, charitable, and educational institutions is increasing its work in impoverished districts of southern and western Punjab. Local economic conditions coupled with foreign financing appear to be transforming a traditionally moderate area of the country into a fertile recruiting ground for terrorist organizations. The provincial and federal governments, while fully aware of the problem, appear to fear direct confrontation with these extremist groups. Local governments lack the resources and federal/provincial support to deal with these organizations on their own. The moderate Brailvi/Sufi community is internally divided into followers of competing spiritual leaders and lacks the financial resources to act as an effective counterweight to well-funded and well-organized extremists.
10. (S/NF) Post believes that this growing recruitment network poses a direct threat to USG counter-terrorism and counter-extremism efforts in Pakistan. Intervention at this stage in the southern and western Punjab could still be useful to counter the prevailing trends favoring extremist organizations. USAID development resources in agriculture, economic growth, education, and infrastructure development are useful and necessary and will address some of the immediate needs. In post’s view short-term, quick impact programs are required which focus on: (1) immediate relief in the form of food aid and microcredit, (2) cash for work and community-based, quick-impact infrastructure development programs focusing on irrigation systems, schools, and other critical infrastructure, and (3) strategic communication programs designed to educate on the dangers of the terrorist recruiting networks and to support counter-terrorist, counter-extremist messages.
HUNT
2008: Extremist recruitment on the rise in south Punjab madrassahsDAWN.COM May 22, 2011 (2 weeks ago) http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/2008-extremist-recruitment-on-the-rise-in-south-punjab-madrassahs.html Saudi Arabia, UAE financing extremism in south Punjab By Qurat ul ain Siddiqui | From the Newspaper May 22, 2011 (2 weeks ago) http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/22/saudi-arabia-uae-financing-extremism-in-south-punjab.html
"UNQUOTE"
Ansar Abbasi [JANG GROUP] Exposes MMA & Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F ) Part 4
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X67iYGVCKpg
PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman has said that Pakistan was passing through its history’s most crucial time and added that even the bearded and turbaned persons were also facing insecurity, Addressing Ulema Convention under the aegis of JUI-F here, Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that the religious group was directly affected by the spate of recent insecurity, while the terror incidents were being linked with the ‘deeni madaris’. He said that JUI-F was being pushed to the defensive position. He further said that the US wanted to occupy the resources of the nations and usurp their freedom. Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that terrorism in Afghanistan escalated instead of being controlled after the US invasion. REFERENCE: Bearded, turbaned also facing insecurity: Fazal Updated at: 1436 PST, Sunday, May 29, 2011 http://www.geo.tv/5-29-2011/81887.htm
Ansar Abbasi [JANG GROUP] Exposes MMA & Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F ) Part 5
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmiuS6xRUGQ
The Maulana stressed the need for a political struggle instead of a military, or militant one, and asked the government to ensure an end to terrorism and restoration of peace. For this purpose, he added, the government should sincerely implement the unanimous resolutions of parliament. Fazlur Rahman claimed in the present situation, his party was the only ray of hope for the Muslims. He maintained that the JUI-F had always termed the militant struggle in the country wrong, since they believed in only political and parliamentary struggle for change.
The JUI-F chief said the worsening law and order situation in the country was a result of the policies adopted by former dictator Pervez Musharraf. “The decision taken by a military dictator to take part in the US war against terror has made the entire nation suffer,” he said. He said to resolve the issue of law and order, all political parties sat together in 2008 and got a unanimous resolution passed from parliament, but the government ignored that resolution, resulting in deterioration of the situation. The JUI-F chief condemned the Abbottabad operation, saying the nation was still waiting for the details of the operation. “Had the 2008 resolution been implemented, the situation would have not worsened to such an extent,” he believed. The Maulana also came down hard on increasing drone strikes and said thousands of innocent people were being killed in these attacks. The government should take up this issue seriously and help stop these attacks, he added. The convention was also addressed by secretary general of the JUI-F, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, provincial head of the party, Sheikh Amanullah, district president Qari Rafiq Shah and others. REFERENCE: Even bearded and turbaned people not safe: Fazl News Desk Monday, May 30, 2011
A DETAILED STUDY (Fatwa) on Khawarij and their Violent & Un-Islamic Activities.
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