Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Nawaz Sharif and Treacherous Politics of Pakistan


Asked what he believes is the reason for his ouster from public office, Mr Sharif did not reply directly but steered the conversation towards foreign policy and national security. “We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan’s narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it.” He continued: “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” — a reference to the Mumbai attacks-related trials which have stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court. “It’s absolutely unacceptable. This is exactly what we are struggling for. President Putin has said it. President Xi has said it,” Mr Sharif said. “We could have already been at seven per cent growth (in GDP), but we are not.” ------------------------------------ (October 06, 2016) ISLAMABAD: In a blunt, orchestrated and unprecedented warning, the civilian government has informed the military leadership of a growing international isolation of Pakistan and sought consensus on several key actions by the state. Second, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed that fresh attempts be made to conclude the Pathankot investigation and restart the stalled Mumbai attacks-related trials in a Rawalpindi antiterrorism court. Those decisions, taken after an extraordinary verbal confrontation between Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the ISI DG, appear to indicate a high-stakes new approach by the PML-N government. On the US, Mr Chaudhry said that relations have deteriorated and will likely further deteriorate because of the American demand that action be taken against the Haqqani network. On India, Mr Chaudhry stated that the completion of the Pathankot investigation and some visible action against Jaish-i-Mohammad were the principal demands. Then, to a hushed but surprised room, Mr Chaudhry suggested that while China has reiterated its support for Pakistan, it too has indicated a preference for a change in course by Pakistan. Specifically, while Chinese authorities have conveyed their willingness to keep putting on technical hold a UN ban on Jaish-i-Mohammad leader Masood Azhar, they have questioned the logic of doing so repeatedly. At that point came the stunning and unexpectedly bold intervention by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Addressing Gen Akhtar, the younger Sharif complained that whenever action has been taken against certain groups by civilian authorities, the security establishment has worked behind the scenes to set the arrested free. Astounded onlookers describe a stunned room that was immediately aware of the extraordinary, unprecedented nature of the exchange. References: For Nawaz, it’s not over till it’s over by Cyril Almeida May 12, 2018 https://www.dawn.com/news/1407192/for-nawaz-its-not-over-till-its-over --- Exclusive: Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military by Cyril Almeida October 06, 2016 https://www.dawn.com/news/1288350/exclusive-act-against-militants-or-face-international-isolation-civilians-tell-military

 Curious Case of Nawaz Sharif's Treachery



ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on Saturday claimed that the Indian government knew about the Kargil operation plan in June 1998, about 11 months before it was launched, and it had made preparations to turn the battlefield into a deadly trap for Kashmiri freedom fighters and Pakistan. The claim was made by the PML-N in a 100-page ‘white paper’ on the Kargil operation titled ‘Kargil adventurism: another huge defeat after Dhaka Fall, who is responsible?’ released by its joint secretary Siddiqul Farooq at a news conference here on Saturday. The PML-N leader said it was necessary to constitute a high-powered commission on Kargil debacle that should submit its findings to parliament within six months, adding that it was a national demand. Mr Farooq said a detailed report on the operation had been submitted by the directors of the Indian Intelligence Bureau to the then prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the interior minister and the DG Military Operations. However, he said, a “naive military adventurer, Gen Musharraf,” launched the operation without proper planning on May 8, 1999 causing loss of life of 3,000 officers and Jawans of the Northern Light Infantry (NLI) and Kashmiri Mujahideen, while India suffered loss of 474 soldiers. Reference: PML-N issues ‘white paper’ on Kargil war August 06, 2006 https://www.dawn.com/news/204768

Lt. General (R) Jamshed Gulzar Kiani on Kargil Operation (Part 1 GEO TV June 2008)


The definitive answer to this question is to be found in the archives of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW). In the last week of May, 1999, Musharraf had been to Beijing. He was in daily telephonic contact with Lt.Gen.Mohammad Aziz, the CGS, in Rawalpindi from his hotel room in Beijing. All these conversations were intercepted by the R&AW. The government of Atal Behari Vajpayee decided to release to the media the transcripts of two of these tapes for three reasons. Reference: Who's Telling The Truth? 06 JUNE 2008 by B. Raman https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/whos-telling-the-truth/237597

Lt. General (R) Jamshed Gulzar Kiani on Kargil Operation (Part 2 GEO TV June 2008)


Firstly, the tapes showed that it was the Pakistani Army which had occupied the Kargil heights violating the Line of Control (LOC) and not the Kashmiri Mujahideen as claimed by Musharraf. Second, it was the Pakistan Army which had shot down an Indian Air Force plane and asked the Hizbul Mujahideen to claim the responsibility for it. Third, the tapes showed that Musharraf had launched his operation without the knowledge of Nawaz, many of his Corps Commanders, the ISI, the chiefs of the Air Force and Navy and his Foreign Office. He got nervous after the IAF went into action and there were reports of the Indian naval ships moving from the East to the West coast. Reference: Who's Telling The Truth? 06 JUNE 2008 by B. Raman https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/whos-telling-the-truth/237597

Lt. General (R) Jamshed Gulzar Kiani on Kargil Operation (Part 3 GEO TV June 2008)


Worried over the possibility of the conflict spreading outside Kashmir, Musharraf authorised Lt.Gen.Aziz from Beijing to brief other officers about the operation at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Nawaz on May 29,1999. At this meeting, as reported by Aziz to Musharraf, there were objections to Musharraf's keeping others in the dark. According to the account of the meeting as given by Aziz to Musharraf in Beijing over telephone, Nawaz defended Musharraf's action in not informing others as due to the demands of operational secrecy. Nawaz claimed that he himself and other Corps Commanders were informed only a week earlier. He made it appear that Musharraf's action was understandable. Reference: Who's Telling The Truth? 06 JUNE 2008 by B. Raman https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/whos-telling-the-truth/237597

Lt. General (R) Jamshed Gulzar Kiani on Kargil Operation (Part 4 GEO TV June 2008)



A careful examination of the tapes as released by the Vajpayee Government would indicate the following:

  • Musharraf launched the operation without taking the clearance of Nawaz and without the knowledge of most of the senior officers
  • When the Indian Army hit back and the IAF went into action, he lost his nerve and informed firstly Nawaz and then other senior officers and the Foreign Office.
  • Instead of rebuking Musharraf for launching the operation without his clearance and asking him to stop it, Nawaz went along with it hoping that the operation would succeed. When it did not, he flew to the US and sought the US assistance in bringing the fighting to a halt.
It is clear that neither Musharraf nor Nawaz nor Kiani is telling the whole truth. Each is telling only a part of the truth which, they think, would serve their purpose. Reference: Who's Telling The Truth? 06 JUNE 2008 by B. Raman https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/whos-telling-the-truth/237597 Did Musharraf inform Nawaz Sharif about his plans to send the Army to occupy the Kargil heights? If not, why not? If so, when did he inform him? The definitive answer to this question is to be found in the archives of the R&AW.


Curious Case of General (R) Pervez Musharraf's Treachery (Part 1) 





The WikiLeaks documents reveal that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was concerned for former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s well-being and wanted him to remain in power in 2007. The revelation was made in a secret cable message originating from the American embassy in Tel Aviv. It records a meeting between Mossad chief and US Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns under the Bush administration. Mr Burns met Mossad chief Meir Dagan on Aug 17, 2007, to give his assessment of the Middle East region, Pakistan and Turkey. The Israeli spy chief said he was concerned about how long President Musharraf would survive. “He is facing a serious problem with the militants. Pakistan’s nuclear capability could end up in the hands of an Islamic regime.” Dagan observed that Musharraf appeared to be losing control and his coalition partners could threaten him in the future. He linked Musharraf’s retaining control over Pakistan to his dual president and commander-in-chief role. The cable says that if Musharraf cannot retain his army role, he will have problems. The Mossad chief referred to attempts on Musharaf’s life and wondered whether he could survive the coming years. Reference: Israelis wanted Musharraf to stay, says WikiLeaks November 29, 2010 https://www.dawn.com/news/587328


Curious Case of General (R) Pervez Musharraf's Treachery (Part 2) 





3. (S) Al-Jubeir expressed considerable "disappointment" in Sharif's broken pledges to the SAG. He stated very clearly that the SAG has worked directly with Musharraf to have Sharif arrested on his return to Pakistan and immediately deported to the Kingdom. "We told Musharraf that we would receive him back and then keep him here as an 'honored guest'," al-Jubeir said. He added that Prince Muqrin had been the SAG's point man in restraining Sharif. Prince Muqrin was allowed to reveal the terms of Sharif's asylum agreement, he noted. Al-Jubeir made it very clear that the SAG would seek to control Sharif's movements in he future, even suggesting that he would be kept in a state only a little less severe than house arrest. 4. (S) Al-Jubeir added that he sees neither Sharif nor former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as a viable replacement for Musharraf. "With all his flaws," he said of Musharraf, "he is the only person that you or we have to work with now." He claimed that Sharif would be unable to control the Pushtun-dominated Islamic insurgency in the tribal region near Afghanistan, while Bhutto would prove to be too divisive a figure to rule the country, which he characterized as "very tribal, much like our own country." 5. (S) Al-Jubeir added that for the SAG, stability in Pakistan is an essential strategic matter. Since Pakistan possesses both nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles, from the Saudi point of view, the policy choice to be made there boils down to a drastic choice: "We can either support Musharraf and stability, or we can allow bin Laden to get the bomb, "he told the Charge'. 6. (S) Comment: As a senior royal advisor who has worked for King Abdullah for eight years now, al-Jubeir's views generally track very closely with those of the King. It seems likely that King Abdullah, Prince Muqrin, and Prince Saud al-Faisal will offer Musharraf pledges of strong support in their meetings today. We note that the Saudis have an economic hold on Nawaz Sharif, sine he was reportedly the first non-Saudi to receive a special economic development loan from the SAG, with which to develop a business while here in exile. We will report further information on these meetings as it develops. End Comment. GFOELLER. References: US embassy cables: Saudi influence in Pakistan Wed 1 Dec 2010 09.48 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/130876 WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia wants military rule in Pakistan : King Abdullah and ruling princes distrust Asif Ali Zardari, the country's Shia president, and would prefer 'another Musharraf' by Declan Walsh in Islamabad Wed 1 Dec 2010 10.00 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/01/saudis-distrust-pakistan-embassy-cables

Curious Case of Imran Khan's Treachery - 1



Curious Case of Imran Khan's Treachery - 2 




Khan argued that such operations were radicalizing Pakistani youth, not just among the poor but also among the educated, middle classes. Dialogue, policing, and intelligence gathering should be the cornerstone of anti-militancy efforts in the tribal areas instead of the use of military force, Khan contended. Noting that he was recently in Swat, he went on to accuse the Pakistan Army of extrajudicial killings, summary executions, and "sexual humiliation" of residents in some villages. Khan urged the USG to seek "alternative points of views" about what is happening in the tribal areas of Pakistan, and he recommended speaking with General Orakzai, former NWFP Govenor, for starters. Khan charged that the GOP is "blinded by dollars," and consequently lacks an accurate view of what is happening on the ground. He further claimed that the GOP "whips up the threat of the Taliban" in order to get more money from the U.S. He claimed last year's Swat operation, which he termed a "debacle," was one such exaggeration that was "stage managed" in order to gain U.S. funds; there was no imminent threat of militants marching on Islamabad, he said. Khan also claimed that the Lal Masjid operation was similarly stage managed by Musharraf. He called for an end to Pakistan's "insane military action" in the tribal areas, adding that the Army has failed to secure any significant areas of South Waziristan despite GOP statements to the contrary. Reference : CODEL LYNCH'S MEETING WITH PAKISTAN TEHREEK-E-INSAF (PTI) PARTY LEADER IMRAN KHAN Date:2010 February 6, 11:26 (Saturday) https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/10ISLAMABAD301_a.html


ISI has nothing to do with 26/11 : Athar Abbas



"Pasha asked Ambassador to convey to Washington that he had followed up on threat information that an attack would be launched against India between September-November. He had been in direct touch with the Israelis on possible threats against Israeli targets in India," the Oct 7, 2009 cable reported. Reference: WikiLeaks: Pakistan Tipped Off Israel on Terror Threats in India - Pakistan wants contacts with Israel to remain secret in order not to anger anti-government Muslim militants. Barak Ravid and Reuters Dec 01, 2010 7:46 PM https://www.haaretz.com/1.5147672 Report: Mossad Chief Visited New Delhi Days Before Attack on Israeli Officials Times of India claims Tamir Pardo told local officials Israelis felt safer in India than in Turkey or South America, did not provide specific warning of New Delhi attack. Barak Ravid Feb 16, 2012 10:33 AM https://www.haaretz.com/1.5186689 Ex-ISI men likely behind 26/11 attacks, says Athar April 25, 2011 https://www.dawn.com/news/623876

Curious Case of Pakistan Peoples Party's Treachery




(January 08, 2009) But within minutes of the revelation, confusing, and somewhat conflicting, statements started emanating from different sections of the government in Islamabad. While the Indian television channel CNN-IBN quoted Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Mehmud Ali Durrani as saying that Ajmal Kasab’s identity as a Pakistani had been established, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir told the same channel that it was premature to say anything because the investigation was continuing. In the midst of all this, American news agency APTN quoted Information Minister Sherry Rehman as confirming that Ajmal Kasab in fact was a Pakistani national. The minister later confirmed it to Dawn that “he is Pakistani” and that investigations are ongoing. Similarly, the Foreign Office which at the initial stage appeared either detached from reality or completely out of the loop, admitted by broadcasting through the state-run PTV that Ajmal Kasab was indeed a Pakistani national. -------- April 25, 2011 Military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas has hinted at involvement of retired ISI officials in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but categorically denied any role of serving spies. The ISPR chief, in his interaction with the visiting delegation of Indian journalists and in an interview with CNN-IBN, indicated the possibility of some retired officials collaborating with Mumbai perpetrators. This is probably the first time that Pakistan military has suggested possible links between retired ISI men and Lashkar-e-Taiba, though India had in the past accused serving officials of being involved. Maj-Gen Abbas described the group responsible for the attacks as a splinter group of LeT headed by Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who is being tried by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi. He denied ISI had any links with the Haqqani Network รข€“ an accusation made by Chairman US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen during his visit to Islamabad last week. The military spokesman reiterated the demand for an end to US drone strikes in tribal areas. --------> (April 6, 2008) Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has detached himself from the little known Balusa Group, a Track II initiative involving well known Pakistanis and Indians, funded by an American, Shirin Taherkheli. A spokesman at the Foreign Office when asked said that since Qureshi had taken charge as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, he no longer remained connected to the Balusa Group. Another prominent Pakistani, Major General (retd) Mahmud Ali Durrani, who will take charge as the National Security Adviser, has also been part of Balusa, but it is not known whether he would still be part of this initiative after he took over as ambassador to the United States and now after his new charge in Islamabad. Some of the others are Syed Babar Ali, General Farrakh Khan, Shaharyar Khan and Toufiq Siddiqi. On the Indian side, some of the members are General Satish Nambiar, Kuldip Nayar, Raja Mohan, Bharat Bhushan and Salman Haidar. A former RAW official is also part of this group. References: Ajmal’s nationality confirmed by Mubashir Zaidi January 08, 2009 https://www.dawn.com/news/337915 Ex-ISI men likely behind 26/11 attacks, says Athar April 25, 2011 https://www.dawn.com/news/623876 Qureshi quits American-funded Balusa Group https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/104223-qureshi-quits-american-funded-balusa-group (The News April 6, 2008) 'Make the summit Lahore Plus' Saturday, June 09, 2001 http://www.thehindu.com/2001/06/09/stories/0109000a.htm India-Pakistan: need for intelligence cooperation by Amarjeet Singh Dulat and Asad Durrani (JULY 14, 2011) (This is a joint paper by two former heads of intelligence — Amarjeet Singh Dulat of RAW, and Asad Durrani of the ISI — discussed in a Track II setting with current and former policymakers from July 1-4 in Berlin, at the 59th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs. It now appears simultaneously in The News International and The Hindu . ) -- 

Moral of the Story :




Many Palestinians realized the need to control the movement, so Dr. George Habash founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Yasser Arafat founded Harakat Tahreer Falasteen or Al-Fatah. Habash announced that “the liberation of Palestine will come through Amman [capital of Jordan],” mostly to challenge both King Hussein and a broken Nasser (both of whom came under Israeli hegemony by 1970, something recognized in the US Secretary of State Rogers’ Plan). King Hussein (with help from Zia-ul-Haq of the Pakistani army) sent in his Bedouin army on 27 September to clear out the Palestinian bases in Jordan. A massacre of innumerable proportions ensued. Moshe Dayan noted that Hussein “killed more Palestinians in eleven days than Israel could kill in twenty years.” Dayan is right in spirit, but it is hardly the case that anyone can match the Sharonism in its brutality. The horror conducted by the marginal Black September group against the Israeli Olympians at the Munich games came as “retaliation.” One barbarity followed another. -------- (July 23, 2003) “He told Zia about his experience the previous year when the Israelis had shown him the vast stores of Soviet weapons they had captured from the PLO in Lebanon. The weapons were perfect for the mujahideen, he told Zia. If Wilson could persuade the CIA to buy them, would Zia have any problems passing them on to the Afghans? “Zia, ever the pragmatist, smiled on the proposal, adding, ‘Just don’t put any Stars of David on the boxes.” Reference: Memories of Barbarity, Sharonism and September by VIJAY PRASHAD APRIL 9, 2002 https://www.counterpunch.org/2002/04/09/memories-of-barbarity-sharonism-and-september/ Charlie Wilson’s war by Masood Haider DAWN - Features; July 23, 2003 https://www.dawn.com/news/1064817

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Attack on Ahsan Iqbal and Playing with Fire in Punjab


One major political party also chose to exploit the issue and continued to do so at both the constituency and national level, ignoring the counsel of several commentators that this was akin to playing with dynamite. You can start this fire but when it gets raging you cannot extinguish its flames. If there is one thing that we seem to be utterly committed to, it is to never learn from history. And our own recent history in particular. Whatever the justification, the policy of nurturing religious militancy has cost us dearly. The images of our brave martyrs, uniformed or otherwise, and their loved ones are a slap-in-the-face reminder if one was indeed needed. All contestants must know that while stoking divisive flames, religious, sectarian or ethnic, may well bring them gains, the temporary advantage of following such a path will lead to hellish consequences. Reference: Need for a campaign code by Abbas Nasir May 12, 2018 https://www.dawn.com/news/1407200/need-for-a-campaign-code

Abrar-ul-Haq and Imran Khan want us to respect these Rogue and Vagabond Clerics - 1





However, one man who has humiliated himself in this tragic situation is Ahsan Iqbal’s opponent from the Narowal district, Abrar ul-Haq, the musician-turned politician and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader. In a bizarre attempt to use this attack on one of the most senior and dignified statesmen in the country for point scoring, Abrar ul-Haq offered the minister treatment at his Sahara hospital in Narowal in a tweet as distasteful as it could get. This wasn’t all. Abrar while talking to a TV channel in the aftermath of the attack resorted even to veiled threats to the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, saying that the people had been calling him and justifying the attack, and then told the PML-N leaders to stay cautious. It isn’t the first time that Abrar ul-Haq has explicitly tried to woo the extremist right-wing vote-bank. In November 2017, when a number of Labbaik goons had surrounded Ahsan Iqbal’s house in Narowal and in turn had been baton-charged by the police, Abrar in a video message had not only justified the vandalism of the Labbaik activists but had gone on to issue sermons for the PML-N leadership, especially naming Ahsan Iqbal, saying the party leaders were ruining their afterlife. Reference: PTI leader humiliates himself after murder attempt on Ahsan Iqbal https://www.nayadaur.tv/2018/05/pti-leader-humiliates-himself-after-murder-attempt-on-ahsan-iqbal/


Abrar-ul-Haq and Imran Khan want us to respect these Rogue and Vagabond Clerics - 2




The point here is simple: a young man, semi-schooled, indoctrinated, who can’t find employment but can become the president of the youth wing of TLYRA and can come up with Rs. 15,000 for a pistol and Rs. 1,800 for purchasing 50 rounds for his weapon. Pakistan’s history, post-1979, is a testimony to the fact that ‘blasphemy’ is a nuclear option. Unfortunately, almost all major political parties have resorted to it for petty politicking. None seems to realize that starting this fire will engulf everyone. It has also been hyped by unscrupulous charlatans and televangelists. This has reached a point where any semi-schooled man looking for a place in Jannah can take it upon himself to kill whoever he deems to have presumably insulted Islam’s Prophet. But more than that, it is, to quote Mencken, the grotesqueries, chicaneries and theological buffooneries practiced by unethical clerics and large segments of their cretinous followers that is the problem. Perish the thought that others will condemn this act by Abid Hussain. As I write this, there will be many who would be preparing themselves for performing what they think is a sacred task. The accused told the police he was asked by Data Sahib to kill minister Iqbal. According to him he also saw other holy personages in his dream. There, we now have a good test case for psychologists and their Jungian mishmash. Incidentally, the accused also went to Dubai but returned after a month because he didn’t like the “mahol” (environment) there. So, here we have some initial observations. Let’s hope we draw the right lessons from them. Reference: Petty Politicking and the Blasphemy Nuke http://newsweekpakistan.com/petty-politicking-and-the-blasphemy-nuke/ by MAY 08 2018 BY EJAZ HAIDER

Orya Maqbool Jan shower praises on Khadim Hussain Rizvi





1. (C) Summary: While politicians and religious leaders have sought to establish inter-religious peace in Gojra village after the August 1 burning of eight Christians, human rights activists have urged the government to reconsider the blasphemy law, which sparked the killing of a Muslim businessman in Sheikhupura August 4. In an August 6 meeting with A/PO, members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan warned that the government must punish the perpetrators, and suggested modifying the blasphemy law that allows such incidents to occur. Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, the imam of Lahore's Badshahi Mosque, related that he spent the week in Gojra encouraging interfaith reconciliation. He underscored that extremist Brelvi group Sunni Tehreek first sparked the riot, though an Ahl-e-Hadith mosque encouraged the violence. End Summary. Reference: PROSECUTIONS AND PEACE PROMISED IN STRIFE-TORN VILLAGE 2009 August 10, 10:59 (Monday) Canonical ID:09LAHORE165_a https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09LAHORE165_a.html


Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad says that Supporters of Mumtaz Qadri (Salmaan Taseer's Killer) would vote for Imran Khan




The US gave money to a Pakistani Muslim group that organised anti-Taliban rallies, but which later demonstrated in support of an extremist who killed a leading liberal politician, the US Embassy in Pakistan said Wednesday. US government website Usaspending.gov shows that the group, the Sunni Ittehad Council, received $36,607 from Washington in 2009. A US diplomat said that the embassy had given money to the group to organise the rallies, but that it had since changed direction and leadership. He said it was a one-off grant, and wouldn't be repeated. He didn't give his name because he wasn't authorised to speak about the issue on the record. The grant was first reported by the Council of Foreign Relations on its website. The Ittehad council was formed in 2009 to counter extremism. It groups politicians and clerics from Pakistan's traditionalist Barelvi Muslim movement, often referred to as theological moderates in the Pakistani context. The American money was used to organise nationwide rallies against militants and suicide bombings, the embassy official said. The demonstrations received widespread media coverage, and were some of the first against extremism in the country. The rhetoric at the rallies was mostly focused on opposing militant attacks on shrines, which Barelvis frequent but are opposed by Deobandi Muslims, Pakistan's other main Muslim sect. In 2011 and also this month, however, the council led demonstrations in support of the killer of Salman Taseer, a governor who was killed a year ago for his criticism of anti-blasphemy laws. The displays have appalled Pakistani liberals and stoked international fears that the country is buckling under the weight of extremism. Taseer's assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, is a Barelvi. He claimed he acted to defend the honour of Prophet Mohammed. Reference: US aided Pakistan group which supported extremists January 11, 2012 https://www.dawn.com/news/687293

Meet Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad and his Sectarian Friends - 1 



Meet Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad and his Sectarian Friends - 2 




Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad is a Friend of Sectarian Terrorist Malik Ishaq





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. Reference: 2009: Was Qaddafi funding Sipahe Sahaba? May 25, 2011 https://www.dawn.com/news/631599


Abrar-ul-Haq of PTI wants Pakistan to respect Khadim Hussain Rizvi



Abrar-ul-Haq of PTI wants Pakistan to respect Pir Afzal Qadri



Abrar-ul-Haq of PTI wants Pakistan to respect Pir Afzal Qadri. Yet Again.



Abrar-ul-Haq of PTI wants Pakistan to respect these Scholars like they respect our Mothers




Moral of the Story: In simpler terms, in Ahmad Raza’s endeavours, we see Islam entwined with the local cultural moorings evolving through the historical process. What Ahmad Raza failed to guard against was the exclusion and takfir. In his famous fatwa Husam al-Haramain ala Manhar al-Kufr wa’l Main (The Sword of the Haramain at the Throat of Kufr and Falsehood), which was written in 1902 but became public in 1906, Ahmed Raza denounced several individuals in the early twentieth-century India. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian was the first on Ahmad Raza’s lists of kafirs (infidels). He was followed by some eminent Ulema from Deoband denomination like Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, Ashraf Ali Thanvi and Khalil Ahmad Ambethwi whom he described as Wahabis. Among the twelver Shias and the organisation of the Ulema known as the Nadwat al-Ulama, he accused some specific people of kufr. This is the situation right now when two Barelvi factions are trading fatwas, calling each other kafir. One shudders to think about the prevalent situation invested with the possible likelihood of sub-sectarian violence among the Sunnis. Reference: Religious modernism and Barelvi creed by Tahir Kamran December 3, 2017 http://tns.thenews.com.pk/barelvi-creed/