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Zero Tolerance for Militancy in Punjab

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Zero Tolerance for Militancy in Punjab Comprehensive review of NAP Zero tolerance for militancy in Punjab Aoun Sahi Aoun Sahi is an investigative journalist in Islamabad, who has published in leading newspapers including The News. n December 25th, 2014, nine days FATA-based groups fighting security O after Pakistani Taliban attacked forces in tribal areas and adjoining Army Public School in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. killing 150, mostly children, the country’s political leadership Over years, Punjab became main approved a comprehensive 20-point centre of militant and religious National Action Plan against organizations. On January 14th, 2015, terrorism. Prime Minister Nawaz interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Sharif, in a televised address to the Khan briefed Prime Minister that the nation, described the incident as number of proscribed organisations having “transformed the country.” actively engaged in terrorism and extremism in Punjab province alone, Rare admission had reached 95.3 Beyond the usual vows of countering Punjab-based groups carry the “terrorist mind-set”, Prime signatures on the most deadly and Minister Sharif made a rare audacious plots. Not only did they admission of the presence of militant carry out attacks in key Punjab cities groups in the country’s largest like Lahore and Rawalpindi, Punjab- province Punjab, when he vowed to based groups had key role in go after them, come what may.1A terrorism outside Punjab: They political leader who attended the fought security forces in tribal areas meeting approving NAP recalled and KP, especially in Swat; that one of the topics that dominated orchestrated sectarian attacks against the discussion was militancy in Shia Hazaras in Quetta; attacked Punjab. “It was discussed at length military installations in Karachi; and that to make NAP successful, there rammed Marriot Hotel in would be zero tolerance to militancy Islamabad. That is why a leading in Punjab”, he said requesting security expert wrote that the “real anonymity.2 Clearly enough, NAP battle against violent extremism” too calls invokes the same point. would have to be fought in Punjab.4 In the past, especially after 9/11, the Punjabi militants didn’t emerge now. state hardly took serious actions Many first fought during the Afghan against Punjab-based militant war in 1980s and later shifted their organizations. The focus was largely focus to Kashmir in 1990s. According on Pakistani Taliban and other to some reports, in 1990s, at least 72 1 Khawar Ghumman, “NAP report 3 Khawar Ghumman, “95 banned groups indicates little progress on key fronts,” active in Punjab,” Dawn, January 15, Dawn, April 3, 2015. 2015. 2Author’s interview with a politician, 4Zahid Hussain, “Tackling militancy in who requested anonymity. Punjab,” Dawn, December 31, 2014. Comprehensive review of NAP jihadi organizations were active in network in the province, spreading Punjab; many merged into bigger the militant ideology, hosted the groups, and several splintered. Arab ‘guests.’ Throughout, many of these groups retaining their old links with Afghan Hardly actions have been taken Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other outfits against the 20 or so seminaries in in Pakistani tribal areas. Rawalpindi, special branches have identified, or many others across Often, militancy in Punjab is dumped Punjab, despite the announcement of to it southern Punjab. In May 2012, NAP. chief minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif admitted that the southern part of Dawn attributed the inaction to Punjab was a “breeding ground” for protests by religious parties: militants. (Yet, Punjab governments hardly took action against the “The religious parties, after militant network and outfits there.) protesting vigorously that their seminaries should not be caught up But Punjab militant networks go in the dragnet, had gone quiet and beyond the province’s southern belt. those with a presence in politics Many militant organizations have had returned to business as usual, successfully established their a clear enough sign that their networks in urban centres of apprehensions have been northern and central Punjab, too. In assuaged. mid-2014, the special branches of Rawalpindi and Islamabad police How has this silence come about? reported that Tehreek-e-Taliban Have they been given an assurance Pakistan was receiving full support that their networks will not be from religious seminaries in touched in the course of fighting Rawalpindi, where 20 Deobandi terror? And if so, will this seminaries served as bases for assurance weaken the fight or terrorists to launch attacks in the twin strengthen it?”5 cities. Punjab government informed the Vast network Supreme Court on July 23, 2015 that 16,000 madrassas are working in the Post-9/11, when the United States province. Nearly 6000 of these are attacked Afghanistan, scores of Al- unregistered, according to the then Qaeda leaders ran to Pakistan, where Punjab home minister Colonel they were arrested from different (Retd.) Shuja Khanzada. He also cities of Punjab. The vast madrassa admitted that “some seminaries” in 5Dawn editorial titled “Government’s confusion,” published on March 10, 2015. 117 Zero tolerance for militancy in Punjab Punjab were funded by “brotherly NAP,” an official said, despite that Muslim countries.” (Khanzada was arresting people would not solve killed in a suicide attack in August militancy issue. This, he said, has 2015.6) decreased over time.7 Home department officials argue Even when interior ministry that majority of madrassas are prepared a progress report on unwilling to register under the new National Action Plan by the end of form the interior ministry issued, March, it didn’t delve much into probably because the form also asks progress on Punjab. All it wrote for reveal funding source. about progress on countering militancy in Punjab was a one line: Superficial enthusiasm “Punjab government is actively pursuing government policy in this After NAP was announced, Punjab regard”. There was no explanation of government showed some what this “government policy” was seriousness initially to curb the and what Punjab government is militancy. This seems to be the claim “actively pursuing.” made in an official report the province submitted to the Prime In any case, scepticism followed if Minister’s Office in March 2015. those arrested mattered. A police According to this report, between official based in Lahore noted that late December 2014 and March 2015, most of those arrested in the province the security agencies conducted were low-ranked members or 14,791 operations in Punjab and workers of banned organizations, arrested 2,798 people. Moreover, who had nothing to do with policy Punjab police also arrested 3,214 making of those organizations. people for violating the usage of loud “Majority of them were detained for speaker and registered register 707 one month or so and were released cases of hate speech. More people by courts on the first hearing”, he from banned organizations were put said. under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, so as to monitor Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) is their activities; the figure now is 1700. one such sectarian group which reportedly came under the radar of Officials also feel less pressurized to the government. The group implement the NAP. “In the earlier previously operated as Sipah-e- days, there was a lot of pressure to Sahaba (SSP), which itself was the arrest more and more people under reincarnation of Pakistan’s most 6 "Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada 7Author’s interview with a government killed in terror attack," Dawn, August 17, official, who requested anonymity. 2015. 118 Comprehensive review of NAP dreadful sectarian-militant group of with tougher stance against Pakistan Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). government and security forces.” ASWJ was reportedly banned in March 2012, though it continues to Deeper shift? work openly in the country.8 On July 29, 2015, Pakistani woke to In the recent crackdown, 600 of its the news that Malik Ishaq, founding activists were arrested from Punjab, member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a according to its member. This made a Sunni extremist group, was killed in group’s senior member claim that the a mysterious shootout in major targets of the recent Muzaffargarh, Punjab, along with his crackdown were activists of his two sons and eleven associates. organisation. Malik Ishaq inspired many A couple of months later, most of Deobandi-aligned militant outfits in them were released. “The law Punjab, with footprints on many enforcement authorities failed to attacks against Shias across the produce proofs against them in court country. In 2014, the State of law”, he said. A police officer Department put him on the list of complained, “It is the conviction rate; wanted terrorists. that is the problem.” As to how his death will impact The situation is compared to militant landscape of Punjab is to be nationwide crackdown: on May 28th, seen. Although he parted ways with NACTA’s national coordinator ASWJ, which he thought was too revealed in parliament that of the ‘peaceful’, he drew support from a 49,000 suspects arrested from all over significant section of ASWJ’s youth the country, after December 2014, members. There is a strong only 129 belonged to the TTP.9 possibility that like-minded charged youth from different Deobandi An AWSJ member said that the militant outfits could join hands to security forces were “trying to create take revenge of his death. This could an environment of fear by registering set in revival of LeJ in Punjab. cases and arresting people.” This, he warned, will backfire, as “most of Punjab Home Minister attributed those arrested have come out of jails Ishaq’s death to National Action 8BBC Urdu, March 9, 2012, 9 Zahid Gishkori, “Unsatisfactory http://www.bbc.com/urdu/pakistan/2 progress: Newly crafted anti-terror 012/03/120309_ahl_sunnat_jamat_ban_z strategy going nowhere,” Express s.shtml. Tribune, May 29, 2015. 119 Zero tolerance for militancy in Punjab Plan.10 Many are wondering if A Lahore-based academic, contests Pakistan has finally woken to the the claim of Punjab government threat of militants like Ishaq, who taking any action.
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