There are increasing signs of Talibanisation striking roots in some of the districts of Punjab, the political and military centre of Pakistan, said Prof. Kalim Bahadur, well-known expert on Pakistan, during a discussion organised at Observer Research Foundation on September 12 in New Delhi.
There are increasing signs of Talibanisation striking roots in some of the districts of Punjab, the political and military centre of Pakistan, said Prof. Kalim Bahadur, well-known expert on Pakistan, during a discussion organised at Observer Research Foundation on September 12 in New Delhi.
“The episode of the Lal Masjid shows that a section of the Pakistani state actively supported the Taliban and radical Islam,” he said. “The next step is the proliferation of the Lal Masjids in Punjab. It is clear that some of the settled districts of the NWFP that are adjacent to Punjab are already Talibanised. In some of the districts in Punjab like Gujranwala, Jhang, Multan Sargodha the Taliban already call the shots. The spread of the Talibanisation in Punjab will pose a serious threat to the stability of the state which is already facing a critical systemic crisis."
The discussion was chaired by Mr Vikram Sood, Vice President, International Affairs, ORF, and former chief of Research and Analysis Wing. The meeting was attended by scholars and academics from different institutions.
Referring to the genesis of radicalism in Punjab, Prof. Bahadur said the Islamic ideology was invoked in Punjab not by the Muslim League but by the Majlise Ahrar and the Jama’at-e-Islami (JeI). He said the JeI founder Maulana Abul Ala Mawdudi had set up the Jama’at in 1941 in Pathankot in the undivided Punjab which he claimed was at the invitation of poet and Islamic philosopher Muhammad Iqbal.
Dr Kalim Bahadur said an important role in infusing radicalism in the province, especially among the young, was played by JeI’s students’ wing, the Islami Jamiat Tulaba. (IJT). He pointed out that IJTwas a group which used violence against it opponents particularly against rival students groups in the Universities in Punjab. Recently it forced Shia students of the Punjab University in Lahore to offer their prayers out of the campus while Sunni students continue to offer prayers within the campus. The IJT has almost taken over the University dictating it to conform to its view of the Islamic higher education.
According to Dr Bahadur, the Zia regime had used the IJT to suppress the activities of the youth organisations of the PPP and other parties. But, he said, ironically in 1984 the Zia government banned all the students unions and the students’ organizations, including the IJT. It is important to note that “quite a large number of the present leaders of the Jama’at began their political career from the IJT. It has also supplied large number of recruits for the Jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir,” said Dr Bahadur who has authored a book on Jama’at.
He referred to some of the militant radical groups which have set up bases in Punjab to point out how Punjab, least affected by sweeping radicalism in the neighbouring provinces, was facing a severe threat from extremist elements. He mentioned three major groups which were on the forefront of the radicalisation drive. The most dangerous, according to Dr Bahadur, was Tablighi Jama’at headquartered in Raiwind where it held mammoth annual gatherings. “The Tablighi Jama’at is reputed to be the mother of all radical Islamic groups in the sense that people trained in the Jama’at are found in all these groups in Pakistan. It is known that the last civilian president of Pakistan Mohammad Rafiq Tarar, the father of the last elected Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mian Muhammad Sharif, one of the most notorious head of the ISI General Javed Nasir were all associated with the Tablighi Jama’at, `` he said.
No less a militant radical group based in Punjab was Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) whose reach extends to all over Pakistan, and large parts of India. The third group was Markaz Dawa wal Irshad or Jamaat-ud Dawa (as it is called today) based in Muridke near Lahore. The group is the parent body of the dreaded terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT). Dr Bahadur said the Markaz owed its huge set up to the munificence of Saudi and Gulf donors. It ran several schools which apart from imparting education in secular subjects were also geared to produce Mujahideen ready to wage Jihad.
"Most of the recruits of the LeT come from Punjab and from Kashmir. Three districts of Punjab, Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan are known to be the strongholds of the LeT. The LeT does not disclose the number of militants it has sent into Kashmir. The entire institution of Dawa wal Irshad including the LeT are deeply involved with Pakistan’s agencies. No body attempts to probe deeply in its affairs for fear of the state. The Dawa wal Irshad holds its annual gathering at Muridke which is comparable to that of the Tablighi Jama’at. The objective of the congregation is to spread the need for Jihad." he explained.
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