Daily Times

I am reminded of a dear friend‘s remark about Pakistan as I roam the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Commenting on Pakistan, he said, “Who says we do not enjoy freedom in Pakistan? You can pee on the streets and no one is going to touch you.” Same is the case with Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

HT is a banned group. It is a terrorist organisation; a terrorist organisation that undoubtedly invests a lot of money in corporate branding to mention just one characteristic. The twin cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad are full of the expensively printed orange and black posters of HT. For me it is akin to urinating on the streets such are their ideas of misplaced Islamism but then what do I know? I am but a “decadent follower of western thought” as one HT supporter so eloquently referred to me in an e-mail a few weeks back.

This particular poster calls upon the “real Muslims in the Pakistan Army” to stand up and fight against the “American-funded, nefarious designs against Islam”. The particular “nefarious design” is the arrest of their deputy spokesperson, Mr Imran Yousafzai, against which all of us but particularly the “real Muslims in the Pakistan Army” need to unite against. General Kayani might ad nauseam declare that “there can only be one cult in the army and that is the army itself” but HT begs to differ. HT is entitled to their own opinions, but may I ask how is it that the banned HT can operate freely and put up posters in public places? Previously in this space I have shared approximations of the fee that the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) take as taxable fee per day to put up signs and banners, etc. I will spare you dear reader, the crude financial calculations but will not refrain from boring you with repeating my question: how is this done? Why is HT given the space to put up their posters? Who all are supporting such banned organisations?

HT was allowed to operate in Pakistan during the reign of General Pervez Musharraf in 2003. It is an organisation that is slowly but very effectively gaining support in Pakistan. Its origin can be traced back to Jerusalem and it came in the limelight when it started its operations in the UK during the 80s. The organisation claims to be non-violent and is struggling for the establishment of Khilafat (Caliphate) across the globe. Its operations were banned in 2004, alleging its involvement in anti-state and violent activities.

Recently, a Brigadier named Ali Khan was arrested, allegedly for having links with HT. Following his arrest, four unknown military officers serving as Majors were also arrested. Right after the arrests were made, the second in command, deputy spokesperson of HT in Pakistan, Imran Yousafzai, was also arrested, who according to his associates, was going to meet a local journalist. According to media reports, a few other arrests were also carried out in connection with the involvement of these persons with the banned organisation.

Islamabad, being the capital of the country, supposedly has better security measures compared to the rest of the country. The intelligence services and police are said to be equally active around the capital. However, these claims are nullified by the presence of posters, banners and flyers of HT found across the capital, without the exception of the red-zone sectors. Anyone can spot the orange coloured posters, portraying the stance of this organisation, which is primarily anti-democratic, supporting the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate across the globe. The amount of money being spent on the publishing and dissemination of the posters, banners and flyers, etc, also gives rise to suspicions about the source of their funding.

The arrest of Brigadier Ali Khan was shocking for the public because no one could ever suspect a serving army officer, particularly of Brigadier rank, to be a part of an organisation that is banned and allegedly shares the mindset of al Qaeda and other like-minded organisations. These arrests also point towards the extent to which this organisation has penetrated our armed forces.

HT is also said to be active in Egypt and, according to some analysts, had a central role in the revolution. It had also developed its links within the armed forces of Egypt, which paved the way for the revolution.

This organisation is hoping for an Arab Spring in Pakistan; something similar to the revolutions of the Arab world. However, it seems that the arrest of their deputy spokesperson in Pakistan has given them a setback, which is quite evident from their latest poster that could also be seen at different places across Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The latest poster warns the government and particularly the armed forces that they should stop following the dictates of the US. It is clearly written that those who show fidelity to the US are enemies of Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah. Then the poster describes that their deputy spokesperson has been lifted by the intelligence agencies, which is a cowardly act and these measures will not stop the organisation from going further.

Pakistan is already flooded by the presence of trusts and charities that are actually militant organisations in disguise. HT presents danger of a new kind because it does not work on the pattern of these trusts and charities but targets the educated class in society. This in a way is more dangerous than bombs because losing educated people to these organisations will seriously damage the efforts of those who are trying their best for the country to survive.

The security establishment must come up with a through plan to dismantle all the organisations and non-state actors that are trying to destabilise the country. HT, although non-violent, presents a serious danger to the country and its armed forces. It is time that a serious crackdown should be initiated and these organisations be completely removed from the country, so that their message remains undelivered. We are certainly not the UK, which has still not banned the organisation, terming it non-violent and not against UK laws. We certainly cannot afford the existence of these organisations when we are already dealing with the menace of terrorism in the country.

On August 17, we marked another year of the death of General Ziaul Haq (may he not rest in peace). As I examine the impunity with which HT is operating, why is a single thought consuming me : Zia is dead but his ghost is larger than all of us.

The writer is a freelance consultant. She can be reached at coordinator@individualland.com