Four terror networks operating in Pakistan belie former minister’s convictions
During his latest presser, former interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan made an interesting statement, saying that there are no longer any terrorist networks operating within Pakistan.
The statement causes mixed feelings. For one, there has been a definite improvement in the country’s security situation. Operations Zarb-e-Azab and Radd-ul-Fasaad have both effectively marshalled the troops, created a strong anti-militant narrative and reduced attacks.
Yet even Ch Nisar did not go as far as to say that terrorism had been eradicated in the country, the memories of the recent attacks in all four provinces too fresh to forget.
Thus the implication is that these were isolated incidents, afterglows if you will. It is indeed a comforting thought, yet to believe it would be nothing short of delusion.
Take, for example, these four recognised and branded terror networks currently operating in Pakistan:
JAMMAT-UD-DAWWA:
The Jammat-ud-Dawwa (JuD) has had a storied history of operating openly despite repeated bans through an inexplicably effective system of name changes, and hiding behind charitable activities. Under the leadership of the notorious Hafiz Saeed, the JUD sprang out from the Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT) after that network was banned by the Pakistan government in 2002.
However, it continued to operate under the different name under the guise of charity, and again came to the forefront after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It even went onto field a new charity called the ‘Falah e Insaani’ foundation. The JuD was finally proscribed in 2015, despite which its leadership and activities continued unhindered.
Perhaps the greatest rebuke they have had to offer to the government banning them is their entry into electoral politics, once again through a name change: The Mili Muslim League (MML). Not only is the move daring, the MML has had the audacity to field a candidate for the symbolic NA-120 election. One of the more potent statements of ‘you can’t touch us’ one can imagine.
LASHKAR-E-JHANGVI:
If there is any other terror network in the country shamelessly involved in mainstream electoral politics, it is the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The sectarian outfit responsible for a number of attacks has elected MPAs such as Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, a Punjab MPA from Jhang PP-78 constituency.
The LeJ had been using the Ahle Sunnat wal Jammat (ASWJ) as their front for some time now. However, after the banning of the ASWJ, they continued their operations through the Sunni Rabta Committee, but have in recent times gone back to using the ASWJ façade with no real consequences.
The ASWJ and even the LeJ name are being used openly, with the PML-N candidate for the PS-114 by-election Ali Akbar Gujjar going so far as to seek out the support of Karachi’s ASWJ chapter.
JAISH-E-MUHAMMAD:
The Jaishe-e-Muhammad has been one Kashmiri outfit that Pakistan has proscribed despite their strategic numbers in the disputed area. With a very strong sectarian outlook, the Jaish-e-Muhammad to this day works through their brutally efficient networks of mosques and seminaries where they do most of their recruiting.
The group was initially banned in 2002, after which they too took the route of a name change, and began calling themselves Khuddam-ul-Islam. When this was banned after a string of militant hits in 2003, they went underground and began calling themselves the ‘Jammat-ul-Furqan.’
The group lay dormant until its revival by Masood Azhar. A mass 3-day rally in 2014 was host to Masood’s claim that he had “300 suicide bombers at his disposal.” And while they remained banned, their work moves on seamlessly, with most of the blame for 2016’s Pathankot blast landing squarely on them.
HAQQANI NETWORK:
Perhaps the most ill-famed of networks still operating in the country, the Haqqani Network has long been a source of ire for Pakistan.
The network that struck fear and apprehension into Pakistan and soiled its relations with the United States to the point of permanent damage was one of the main reasons for Zarb-e-Azab.
Lead by Jalaluddin and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the father and son duo and their throngs of fanatics managed to wreak havoc in the region for decades. Back in July, Secretary of Defence James Mattis announced the withholding of $50 million in aid to Pakistan for their failure to stop the Haqqani network. They have also continued to claim numerous attacks as their own doing.
Even if every other group were to be set aside, the Haqqani network alone would be enough to shatter any semblance of hope created by Ch Nisar’s words.