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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak group holds funeral prayers for Zarqawi |
| 2006-06-11 |
| Amidst the 'soft image' campaign launched by President Pervez Musharraf to portray Pakistan as a moderate country, hardline Islamic group Jamat ud Dawa offered funeral prayers for al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi who was killed in Iraq this week. "President Musharraf's favourite jihadi outfit, Jamaat ud Dawa, offered a special namaz-e-janaza, (funeral prayers) in Lahore in absentia for the Shia-killer from Jordan and condemned the statement by the Foreign Office that the death of al Zarqawi was an important milestone in the war against terrorism," said a newspaper on Sunday. The prayer was led by the head of Dawa and founder leader of Lashkar-e-Toyaba, Hafiz Saeed, "while the congregation cried their heart out for the dead man", the paper said in an editorial. Dawa, banned by the United States, styles itself as an Islamic NGO, and Pakistan said it would go against the outfit only if the United Nations initiated such an action. The outfit, kept under "watch list" by the Pakistan Interior Ministry, was also permitted to carry out relief and reconstruction activities in the last year's earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir and NWFP. The Dawa's prayers came even as National Assembly Speaker Amir Hussain averted a move by some of the members of the Islamist alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal (MMA) to offer "fateha" or prayers for Zarqawi. Hussain 'prevented the embarrassing situation' from getting out of hand by quoting the rules which stipulated fateha could only be offered on the demise of a present or former member of parliament or his relatives. Dawa's decision to hold a well publicised 'namaz-e-janaza' for Zarqawi came as President Musharraf directed the government to launch a 'soft image' campaign to rid the 'trade mark tag' of the 'warehouse jihadi militancy'. Musharraf issued the directive on last Friday after a high level meeting with Information Ministry officials to boost Pakistan's image at home and abroad. Expressing apprehension that Pakistan toyed with the idea of revival of 'jihadi' militant groups, the paper said the High Court in Karachi recently acquitted two doctors of helping Zarqawi 'because the police failed to make a good case against them'. "Dr Akmal Waheed and Dr Arshad Waheed had kept Al Zarqawi in their house in Karachi and looked after him and then sent him to South Waziristan for his journey to Afghanistan. The two Karachi doctors were revealed as Jandullah members by the Jandullah leader, Ataullah. |
| Posted by:john |
| #6 figured.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-11 15:42 |
| #5 are these guys Sunni? Why would they mourn the "Shia-killer"? Just anti-western animus? The sectarian differences fade when put against hatred for the kaffir. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-06-11 15:38 |
| #4 are these guys Sunni? Why would they mourn the "Shia-killer"? Just anti-western animus? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-11 14:52 |
| #3 I hope someone is writing down longitude and lattitude for these events. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2006-06-11 13:28 |
| #2 the congregation cried their heart out for the dead man Imagine what they'll do at Osama's service... |
| Posted by: john 2006-06-11 12:41 |
| #1 I hope the DoD got photos of every body at the service. Add them to the next batch of "Wanted" posters. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-06-11 12:32 |