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India-Pakistan

28 arrested after violent clash over possession of mosque claims life in Karachi

2019-01-07

[DAWN] Police nabbed Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! 28 people as a violent clash between followers of two rival schools of thought over the possession of a mosque in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's Mehmoodabad area on Saturday night claimed the life of a young man and resulted in bullet injuries to three others, officials said on Sunday. The mosque was handed over to one of the groups ‐ from the Deobandi school of thought ‐ under the orders of the Sindh High Court in the presence of the court’s nazir, who stayed at the mosque till evening prayers on Saturday to ensure a smooth transition. "The transition occurred smoothly in the day but at night, at around 11pm, around 150-200 men from Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... and Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain (TLP) attacked the men present inside the mosque," DIG East Amir Farooqi told Dawn. Both sides resorted to fist fights and attacked each other with sticks, the officer said, adding that "some attackers were armed as well".

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India-Pakistan

Man shot dead, three injured as religious groups fight over 'possession' of mosque in Karachi

2019-01-06

[DAWN] A man was rubbed out while three others received injuries during a violent clash between two religious groups on Saturday night over the possession of a mosque in Mehmoodabad area of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , falling in the jurisdiction of Baloch Colony cop shoppe. Police said that the mosque was given under the administrative control of one sect when members of a 'perceived' rival sect attacked it. DIG East Amir Farooqi told Dawn that the mosque was handed over to a Deobandi group under court orders. "The transition occurred smoothly in the day but at night, at around 11 pm, around 150-200 men from Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... and Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain (TLP) attacked the men present inside the mosque," said the senior officer. Both sides resorted to fist fights and attacked each other with sticks, he said adding that "some attackers were armed as well". At least four persons sustained bullet wounds in the clash and were shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where doctors pronounced one Kashif Hussain, 35, as dead on arrival, officials said. The injured persons, who were admitted for treatment, have been identified as Yamin, 30; Adeel Afzal, 30; and Raja Hafeez, 44; got admitted for treatment, said JPMC Director Dr Seemin Jamali. Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy's udder had begun to ache... the contingents of police rushed to the area, where the incident had happened, to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. "The situation is under control at the moment, " DIG Farooqi said. IG Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam was quick to take notice of "injuries to six persons during the clash" and sought a report from the East SSP.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, allies distance themselves from TLP protest call

2018-11-26

[DAWN] Leaders of Pakistain Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... (PST) and its allied parties have distanced themselves from Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pak­istan’s (TLP) call for coun­trywide protest on Nov 25 and said they were never part of TLP. Speaking at a hurriedly-called presser at the local press club on Saturday, Khalid Hassan Attari, Imran Soharwardi, Allama Jawad Raza Barkati, Allama Muharram Din Qadri and others said that they condemned hate speeches by TLP head Khadim Hussain Rizvi. They demanded immediate release of activists of Tanzeemat-e-Ahle Sunnat, a conglomerate of various religious parties including Pakistain Sunni Tehrik, Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, Darul Uloom Ahsanul Barkat, Dargah Syedna Sakhi Abdul Wahab Shah Jilani Trust and Paigham-e-Mustafa. They called for stopping crackdown against their parties and said that around six activists of PST and other parties had been tossed in the slammer Please don't kill me! by Rangers and police since Friday night soon after the arrest of TLP chief. They said that they condemned hate speeches by TLP chief and terrorist attack on Chinese consulate in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... . They had always remained staunch supporters of Mighty Pak Army and never used objectionable language against institutions of the state, they said.

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India-Pakistan

14 more arrest warrants issued for Khadim Rizvi, other suspects

2018-03-25

[DAWN] An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) and civil courts on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain's (TLP) Khadim Hussain Rizvi along with other absconding suspects in 14 cases related to the Faizabad sit-in held last year. ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand issued arrest warrants in five cases regarding the Islamabad protests that were registered in the I-9 cop shoppe after Rizvi and other suspects refused to appear in court for the hearing. The TLP leader along with other members of Rizvi's and other religious parties are facing multiple charges, including terrorism, in several cases that were registered in 26 cop shoppes across the capital after the Faizabad protests. A civil court also issued arrest warrants in nine cases lodged in the Industrial Area cop shoppe. An ATC court has already issued arrest warrants for Rizvi and other leaders of different religious parties, including the Tehrik-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat and the Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... Pakistain, in six cases pertaining to the Faizabad sit-in. The last arrest warrant was issued earlier this week after Rizvi failed to appear in court for a hearing. Despite multiple warrants, no arrests have been made as yet. Islamabad protests Religious parties held a sit-in at Faizabad Interchange in the capital following the passage of the Elections Act 2017, which they believed deliberately modified the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath as part of some conspiracy. The amendment to the oath had been explained as a 'holy manal error' by the government and subsequently rectified through an Act of Parliament.

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India-Pakistan

Anti-Terrorism Court orders arrest of TLP chief Khadim Rizvi, others in Faizabad sit-in case

2018-03-20

[DAWN] An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad on Monday ordered the arrests of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan's (TLP) Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Pir Afzal Qadri and other absconding suspects in a case pertaining to the Faizabad sit-in held last year. The ATC ordered their arrests after they failed to appear before the court despite being issued multiple summons. The ATC had previously issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Rizvi and other holy mans after they did not respond to various summons. The police were separately ordered to submit their final challan ... list of charges ... in the next hearing of the case, which has been scheduled for April 4. The Faizabad sit-in, organised by politico-religious parties in November 2017, had disrupted life in the twin cities for at least 20 days. ISI report rejected Earlier today, the Supreme Court (SC) had rejected Inter-Services Intelligence ...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir... 's (ISI) report on the Faizabad sit-in, calling it "unsatisfactory". "This report is deeply unsettling: it has been prepared by one of the premier agencies of the country, yet a journalist could have given more details [about the protests] than this report," Justice Qazi Faez Isa said after reviewing the document. Justice Isa is part of a two-member SC bench, along with Justice Musheer Alam, which has been hearing a suo motu ...a legal term, from the Latin. Roughly translated it means I saw what you did, you bastard... case regarding the use of abusive language during the sit-in and the difficulties caused to residents of the capital by the roadblocks placed by the agitators. In today's hearing, Justice Isa said that the ISI ‐ just like the judiciary ‐ was "answerable to taxpayers". The court asked the deputy attorney general, who submitted the report, if he was satisfied with it, to which the latter replied in the affirmative. The bench then pointed out that the report did not even specify the source of Rizvi's income. When Justice Isa inquired further about Rizvi's occupation, he was told that the TLP chief was a "religious lecturer". The explanation was offered by Col Falak Naz, who was representing the Defence Ministry in the hearing. When Justice Isa inquired further about Rizvi's occupation, he was told that the TLP chief was a "religious lecturer". The explanation was offered by Col Falak Naz, who was representing the Defence Ministry in the hearing. "Is 'religious lecturer' a profession?" Justice Isa asked, before turning to Rizvi's tax status and bank account. Col Naz responded that Rizvi lived on donations. "Then mention that he is being financially supported by others!" the judge exclaimed. The court also pointed out that the report did not answer the specific questions previously raised by the court before ordering the ISI to submit a new report within two weeks. The court also ordered the attorney general to be present for the next hearing. Islamabad protests Daily life in Islamabad was disrupted for 20 days in November 2017 by protesters belonging to religious parties, including TLY, the Tehrik-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, and the Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... Pakistain (ST). The agitators believed that during the passage of the Elections Act 2017, the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath was deliberately modified as part of some conspiracy. The amendment to the oath had been explained as a 'holy manal error' by the government and subsequently rectified through an Act of Parliament.

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India-Pakistan

Sialvi’s anti-govt movement from 28th

2018-01-24

[NATION.PK] Followers of Sargodha-based spiritual leader Pir Hameedudin Silavi will start the protest movement against the PML-N government from Sunday (January 28.) Protests will initially be launched in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad ...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after... , Sargodha and Jhang, a leader attached with Pir Sialvi’s Khatme Nabuwwat Movement told The Nation on Monday. Four districts (Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Jhang and Sargodha) were chosen due to a good number of followers of Pir Sialvi in these areas. The protest in placid provincial capital will be symbolic where a sit-in will be organised in front of Data Darbar, he said, elaborating the protest strategy of the spiritual leader. Pir Sialvi is spearheading a campaign against the government after the latter attempted to tone down the law relating to finality of prophethood, and demanding resignation of Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Law Minister Rana Sanaullah. However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... he changed his main demand (Rana Sanaullah’s resignation) at Saturday’s protest at Bhati Gate in Lahore and asked the government to enforce Islamic laws in the country in seven days. In case his demand is not met, he threatened to launch a countrywide campaign against the government. In the first phase, Sialvi’s aide said, protests will be organised in four districts, but the campaign will gradually be expanded to other cities. Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Faisalabad-based head of Sunni Ittehad Council ...an Islamist(aren't they all in Pakistain?) political party which claims to represent the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam. Member parties of the Sunni Ittehad Council includes the Aalmi Tanzeem Ahle Sunnat of Pir Afzal Qadri (of Gujrat) and Jamiat Ulema e Pakistan - Sawad e Azam of Sayyid Mahfooz Shah Sahib Mashadi... ‐ a conglomerate of Brelvi organizations ‐JUP-Noorani President Sahibzada Abual Khair Zubair, Pakistain Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... head Sarwat Ijaz Qadri and Tehrik Labbaik head Dr Ashraf Asif Jalai are part of Pir Sialvi’s movement. A couple of PML-N MNAs and MPAs are also backing the movement, as they had recently resigned in protest against his party’s "attempt to change law on finality of prophethood". Pir Sialvi organised protests in Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Lahore on December 10 and 25 and January 20, respectively, to press for acceptance of his demands.

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India-Pakistan

Musharraf calls himself 'greatest supporter of LeT'

2017-12-01

[DAWN] Former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... on Tuesday declared that he is the greatest supporter of proscribed murderous Moslem group Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... (LeT). The declaration of support for LeT, Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... and its chief Hafiz Saeed ...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat... , who was recently released from house arrest, was made during a discussion pertaining to Musharraf's recently announced 23-party 'grand alliance' on ARY News programme 11th Hour. During the talk show, the host pointed out that it will be "an interesting visual" to see Musharraf ─ "enlightened moderation, liberal outlook" ─ sitting next to leaders of parties such as Majlis-e-Wahdatul Moslemeen, Sunni Itehad Council and Pakistain Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... ─ "parties with religious colours." "You are describing me as a liberal [...] Yes, I am. These are my thoughts," the former president said. "That does not mean I am against all religious parties." "I am the greatest supporter of LeT and I know they [LeT and JuD] are fond of me," he said. When asked if he "liked" JuD chief Hafiz Seed, the former president said that he does and that he has met with him. "Because I have always been in favour of action in Kashmire and I have always been in favour of pressuring the Indian army in Kashmire. This is the biggest force and they have been declared gunnies by India and the US jointly," Musharraf said, explaining his stance. The former president went on to deny that LeT was involved in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai ─ an allegation leveled by India and supported by Washington.

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India-Pakistan

An overview of the crisis that forced the government to capitulate

2017-11-28

[DAWN] As daily life in Islamabad limps back to normality after being disrupted for 20 days by protesters, Dawn.com looks back on the chain of events that ended with the government surrendering unequivocally to the protesters' demands. In broad strokes The protesters, who belonged to religious parties like the Tehrik Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY), the Tehrik-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, and the Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... Pakistain (ST), had occupied the Faizabad Interchange, which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad through the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road, both of which are the busiest roads in the twin cities. The agitators believed that during the passage of Elections Act 2017, the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath was deliberately modified as part of a larger conspiracy. The amendment to the oath was deemed a 'holy manal error' by the government and was subsequently rectified through an Act of Parliament. Nonetheless, the protesters had been insistent on the resignation of Zahid Hamid, the erstwhile law minister, for his alleged role in the controversy. There is no proof yet that indicates Hamid was responsible for the amendment. A committee headed by Raja Zafarul Haq had probed the issue and released a report on the matter which has not yet been made public. The Islamabad High Court, the Supreme Court and the heads of various religious parties had repeatedly called on the protesters to disband, calling the protest unlawful as a ban had been imposed on public gatherings in the city and urging the agitators to use the Democracy and Speech Corner at Islamabad's Parade Ground, which has been reserved for such gatherings. The IHC finally ordered the district administration to evict the protesters from the Faizabad Interchange using "any means necessary". The government initiated several rounds of negotiations with the protesters after the order was issued, but failed each time, and the IHC subsequently warned Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal of being charged with contempt of court for not complying with the court's orders. The IHC on Friday observed that the protest's leaders had, prima facie, committed an 'act of terror' by continuing their protest despite the court's orders and criticised the government for failing to take meaningful action against them. A final deadline given to protesters by the government ‐ 7am on Saturday, Nov 25 ‐ also lapsed without any let-up in the sit-in. As the government launched an operation to disperse the protesters, at least six people were killed and scores others injured. After a botched operation, the government decided to call in the army for help. When the army refused, the government turned towards negotiations with the protesters once more and then accepted a number of their demands in return for ending the protest.

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India-Pakistan

Country's decisions will be taken on streets if situation not resolved: SC on Faizabad sit-in

2017-11-24

[DAWN] The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction at the reports submitted by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Inter-Services Intelligence ...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir... (ISI) with regards to the Faizabad sit-in in Islamabad, which is now in its third week. Daily life in the capital has been disrupted by protesters belonging to religious parties ‐ including the Tehrik-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, Tehrik-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and the Sunni Tehrik

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India-Pakistan

134 arrested in skirmishes at Faizabad moved to Adiala jail

2017-11-21

[DAWN] Police have moved 134 people, tossed in the calaboose Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! during sporadic festivities between law enforcement agencies and sit-in protesters, to Adiala jail. According to sources, none of the suspects taken to Adiala jail are prominent religious leaders. Out of all the cases registered with the police against the protesters, three have been registered on charges that include section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The protest is being led by the Tehrik Labaik Ya Rasool Allah and Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... parties, and has continued for 12 days. A senior Rawalpindi police official said the police have already been placed on alert in the city, as personnel have been deployed at Faizabad, Koral and on I.J. Principal Road to prevent the protesters from entering the city. "We are taking all possible measures to maintain peace in [Rawalpindi]," a senior police official said, adding that additional police personnel have been deployed around the residence of former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... in Faizabad, which is a few hundred metres from the site of the sit-in.

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India-Pakistan

Islamabad protesters given more time by govt to reconsider protest

2017-11-21

[DAWN] Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday announced an extension granted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the deadline for religious parties to end their sit-in at Islamabad's Faizabad Interchange. Daily life in the capital has been disrupted for nearly two weeks by protesters belonging to religious parties ‐ including the Tehrik-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, Tehrik-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and the Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... Pakistain (ST) ‐ who are calling for the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid and strict action against those behind the amendment to the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath in the Elections Act 2017. The amendment had earlier been deemed a 'holy manal error' and has already been rectified. The protesters had occupied the Faizabad Bridge which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad through the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road, both of which are the busiest roads in the twin cities. The deadline for ending the sit-in is now Nov 23, Iqbal said, addressing a presser after a court hearing on the matter today. "We will implement the court's order," Iqbal asserted, referring to an earlier order issued by the IHC to the capital administration on Friday to evict the protesters by Saturday using "any means necessary" and with the help of the Frontier Constabulary and Rangers, if needed. "The Islamabad administration did not conduct an operation against the protesters on my orders, because I do not wish for any unrest. I asked for an extension in the deadline so that we can find a solution," he added.

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India-Pakistan

Right-wing threat

2017-11-13

[DAWN] The protest near Islamabad by elements of the right wing, led by Tehrik-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistain and the Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... , has taken an ugly turn, with a potential for worse. During their Friday sermon, holy mans from the religious groups holding the demonstration threatened to attack the families of federal ministers if the government did not accede to their demands. It is several days since the protest began, sparked ostensibly by the controversy surrounding the amendment to the Elections Act, 2017, an amendment swiftly reversed by parliament. Among other demands, the protesters want Law Minister Zahid Hamid to resign for what they believe is his culpability in the short-lived change to the election law; Asiya Bibi executed; cases against religious leaders dismissed; and holy mans removed from the Fourth Schedule. The Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government is acting as an interlocutor between the protesters and the federal government. As always, those suffering the most from the sit-in at Faizabad interchange, the main artery linking Islamabad and Rawalpindi, are ordinary citizens trying to go about their daily lives. There is never a time quite like the run-up to elections for groups with political aspirations to flex their muscles, and expand their space. September’s by-election in NA-120 saw the TLY-backed candidate win enough votes to come in third place behind the PML-N and PTI. It was an electoral endorsement that has further emboldened an organization that derives its inspiration from the man who murdered Salmaan Taseer ‐ it is hardly surprising that violence, whether in the name of religion or otherwise, is its stock-in-trade. For the holy mans to threaten the families of those against whom they are directing their ire is a form of blackmail that is particularly detestable and should be denounced in the strongest terms. The democratic right to protest is not a licence to engage in hate speech or incite violence. Moreover, the protesters’ demands are such that no government could possibly acquiesce to them; their very unreasonableness shows them for what they are, a naked attempt to browbeat authorities. Although the government has been right to show restraint thus far, there must be a more concerted and skillful effort to engage with the protesters so that the increasing tension can dissipate. Any violence will work to the advantage of the right wing, and they know it. Those taking part in the sit-in are spoiling for a fight. The government must not give in to them.

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