Daily Times

Banned sectarian outfit, Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), is amongst the religious parties holding protest demonstrations for Rohingya Muslims. Leaders of the outlawed group on Sunday held a rally in Karachi and had earlier joined hands with other religious parties to hold demonstrations in Islamabad on Friday.

Civil society activists criticised the government for what they termed a failure of National Action Plan (NAP), adding that proscribed groups should not be allowed to hold political activities. Activists have been warned that the government’s unwillingness to act against such groups might affect the progress of the ongoing military operations against terrorism.

ASWJ is known to have links with anti-Shia militant group Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), which later changed its name to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The group has carried out several attacks against the members of Shia community over the years. In messages it has issued to media after attacks targeting the Shia community, the terror group vowed to ‘rid Pakistan of Shias’. Many analysts describe ASWJ as the political wing of SSP/LeJ.

MPA Masroor Jhangvi led the rally that took place in Islamabad after Friday prayer, against violence in Myanmar. Jhangvi is the son of notorious anti-Shia militant and SSP founder Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, and was elected as MPA in the Jhang by-elections in December 2016. Although Jhangvi contested the election as an independent candidate, the leaders of ASWJ had actively participated in his election campaign. ASWJ chief Ahmad Ludhianvi had also urged his followers to vote for Jhangvi.

Civil society had been criticising Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for approving of his nomination papers despite his terrorism links. His election to the provincial assembly of Punjab was termed as the revival of sectarian politics, which had dominated areas of the province, particularly Jhang, in the 1990s.

“Sectarian groups continue to hold significant electoral strength and all mainstream political parties have time and again formed an alliance with them”, said civil society activist Jibran Nasir, adding that the rallies by proscribed outfits are a mockery of the NAP.

Jibran said the fact that the ASWJ rally in Islamabad was led by a sitting MPA who was elected by people means the problem of sectarianism is deep-rooted.

“Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif himself admitted the failure of the NAP and spoke about the need to act against banned outfits. It is shocking that even after his admission these groups continue to carry out political activities”, he told Daily Times.

While commenting on the ECP’s failure to bar such groups from contesting elections, he said that electoral reforms should be introduced at the earliest so that such banned sectarian groups can be stopped from contesting the upcoming general elections.

“The terror organisations are trying to achieve legitimacy by holding a demonstration for Rohingyas, and the government needs to stop them”, said PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar, while talking to Daily Times.

The PML-N government always had a soft corner for sectarian groups and never acted against them in Punjab, he said.

Babar added that the PPP will not take part in the rallies of religious organisations against Burmese government because these groups are only using the issue as an opportunity to reorganise themselves. He said Pakistan should take up the issue of Rohingya killings internationally and use the relevant forums to raise voice against the atrocities.