DAWN/The News International, KARACHI
19 February 2009, Thursday, 23 Safar 1430
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3 die in different incidents
40 vehicles, 25 mobile phones taken away
Magistrate testifies in Rimpa Plaza killing case
SNF seeks to expand supporter base
Maulana Nakshbandi shot dead in Quetta
(more)
Safma head Imtiaz Alam attacked
(more)
The News, Geo staffer killed in the line of duty
(more)
Wana Press Club building blown up
(more)
Sufi leads peace rally to Taliban stronghold Matta
(more)
Official of opulation welfare kidnapped in Hangu
(more)
Polio coordinator, three others abducted in Darra
(more)
6 tribesmen killed in Kurram
(more)
Girls’ schools blown up, 8 killed in Bajaur
(more)
Obama approves 17,000 additional troops for Afghanistan
(more)
Faith Wars, By Ayesha Siddiqa
(more)
3 die in different incidents
Three persons including a Qawal were shot dead in separate incidents on Wednesday. Jamshed, 22, was tortured and shot dead by armed men in the Jamshed Quarters police limits. Zubair, the brother of the deceased, nominated Ahmed Ali, a resident of PIB Colony, in the complaint. Investigation is under way.Bullet-riddled body of Abdul Sattar was found from Baloch Para in the Jamshed Quarters police station. The deceased was missing since late Tuesday night. In another case, a bullet-riddled body of an unidentified man was found from Eidgah police limits. The body of Amanullah, 44, an estate agent, was found inside his parked car (GF-383) in Sector-5M in Bilal Colony police station. Police reportedly found a syringe near the body, and suspected that some unidentified persons or the deceased himself might have injected poison into his body. The body was shifted to the hospital for chemical examination. The deceased was a resident of Ubaid Apartments, Gulistan-i-Jauhar. Further investigation is under way.MISHAPS: Sana, 6, was crushed to death by a speeding tanker (JB-972) in the Bilal Colony police limits while she was crossing the road. The driver fled the scene. In a separate case, Khair Nawaz, 25, was crushed to death by a speeding Hazara Express, at a railway track of Landhi Quaidabad interchange. The deceased was the resident of Rehri Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi and a labourer by profession. Another unidentified man was crushed to death by a speeding train near Drig Road interchange. Amir Saeed, 25, was killed by a speeding Buldozer near NIPA Chowrangi. The deceased was the resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and a salesman by profession. Asad Usman was crushed to death by a speeding jeep near Nursary Signal while he was crossing the road. The driver Khan Mohammed was arrested and a case was registered at the concerned police station concerned.
40 vehicles, 25 mobile phones taken away
KARACHI, Feb 17: As many as 40 vehicles – nine cars and 31 motorcycles – and 25 mobiles phones were taken away by the evening on Tuesday in different parts of the city. Officials at the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee told Dawn that at least four cars were snatched at gunpoint in the police limits of Manghopir, Mauripur and Shahrah-i-Noorjahan. They said five automobiles were stolen in the police jurisdictions of Defence Housing Authority, New Karachi, PIB Colony, Aziz Bhatti and Airport. The officials said that 12 motorcycles were snatched at gunpoint in the limits of Surjani Town, Manghopir, PIB Colony, Korangi, Sharafi Goth, Khawaja Ajmair Nagri, Garden, Sharea Faisal and Pirabad. The officials said 19 motorcycles were stolen in the limits of Frere, Defence, Azizabad, Jauharabad, Sachal, PIB Colony, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Jamshed Quarters, Ferozabad, Landhi, North Nazimabad, Pakistan Bazaar, Orangi Town, Eidgah and Airport.
Magistrate testifies in Rimpa Plaza killing case
KARACHI, Feb 18: An anti-terrorism court recorded on Wednesday the testimony of a judicial magistrate in a case pertaining to the
killing of seven workers of a Christian charity
. Mohammad Asif alias Pasha, Zubairuddin alias Sharjeel, Mohammad Atif, Wajahat and Mohammad Arshad, stated to be members of Tehreek-i-Islami Lashkar-i-Muhammadi, a banned militant outfit, are facing charges of killing seven staffers of the NGO Idara Amn-o-Insaf and injuring another one in its Rimpa Plaza office in the Garden police limits on Sept 25, 2002. The judicial magistrate, Noshad Ali, stated in his statement that the investigation officer had produced three accused, Mohammad Asif alias Pasha, Zubairuddin alias Sharjeel and Mohammad Atif, in his court and he after completing all legal formalities conducted the identification parade of the accused, in which a witness, Robin Peera, had identified them. Defence counsel Naeem Qureshi cross-examined the judicial magistrate and said the identification parade should be treated as invalid because it was not held as per law since the photos of the accused had appeared in the media before the identification parade while it also lacked other legal formalities. The judge, Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, adjourned the hearing till Feb 21. The prosecution said that Mohammad Asif alias Pasha, Zubairuddin alias Sharjeel and Mohammad Atif were arrested by the CID police in March 2008 in some other cases and they allegedly confirmed their involvement in this case during the initial interrogations and stated that they had first injected the staff with a poisonous substance and later shot all of them to death. The co-accused, Wajahat and Mohammad Arshad, were arrested in Lahore on May 15, 2008 in another case. However, the prosecution claimed the accused during interrogations had confessed to having killed the charity’s workers. Their associate, Abid, was declared absconder in the case. The prosecution has closed its side after the deposition of the judicial magistrate and the court will record the statements of the accused on the next date of hearing. Special public prosecutor Taseer Khan examined 20 prosecution witnesses, including complainant Zafar Iqbal, ASI Asghar Ali, Naeem Farooq, ASI Nadeem Haider, sub-inspector Noor Mohammad, medico-legal officer Dr Mohammad Athar, first IO of the case Tasaraf Mahmood, judicial magistrate Shahid Hussain, who conducted the identification parade of Wajahat and Mohammad Arshad, Raheem Bux, investigation officer Nazeer Hussain, Robin Peera, who was injured in the incident, judicial magistrate Noshad Ali and others. The case (FIR 205/02) was registered at the Garden police station under Section 302 and 324/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, on the complaint of Zafar Iqbal, the administrator of the NGO.
SNF seeks to expand supporter base
Sindh National Front (SNF) has constituted a five member committee to expand and strengthen its support base and recruit new members. The committee would visit all zones of the city, and submit a report within the next three months to the party chairman, Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto. This decision was taken during a meeting of SNF Karachi that was held at a local office on Wednesday. Talking to party members, Bhutto said that the SNF has worked for 23 long-years to get provincial autonomy and now some other political parties are trying to hijack their cause. However, he said, such attempts is a sign of the success of their cause and their efforts to get provincial autonomy.
Maulana Nakshbandi shot dead in Quetta
QUETTA: Provincial leader of Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (Noorani) Maulana Iftikhar Ahmed Nakshbandi was shot dead at Mano Jan in the jurisdiction of Saddar police station here on Wednesday. Police told APP that Maulana Nakshbandi left his house in a TV channel’s Quetta center vehicle to participate in a religious programme, when two unidentified armed assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle. As a result, he sustained several bullet injuries and succumbed to his injuries on his way to hospital.
Safma head Imtiaz Alam attacked
LAHORE: South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) Secretary General Imtiaz Alam was Wednesday attacked and injured by four unidentified men, as he reached home from office. The four men armed with hockey sticks and clubs attacked the renowned journalist and founding secretary general of Safma as he was about to enter his house at around 11 pm. The men, as explained by Imtiaz Alam, were apparently in their 20s and all of them had beards. The attackers started smashing the car from all directions destroying the car in every way possible. Imtiaz stayed in the car for safety but the attackers after smashing the windows and the windscreen hit him as he sat inside the car wounding his arm. The attackers fled after smashing the car.
The News, Geo staffer killed in the line of duty
PESHAWAR: As Maulana Sufi Muhammad’s peace rally, comprising hundreds of activists, entered the Matta Tehsil to talk to the militants for restoring peace in Swat, some unknown persons shot dead a young journalist and correspondent for The News and Geo News in Mingora. Musa Khankhel was accompanying the caravan of the Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) from Mingora to Matta to cover the crucial event that had created high hopes for peace in the valley. His young brother Isa Khankhel, who is also a journalist, told The News that he was in the line of his journalistic duty when some unknown persons kidnapped him at gunpoint.“Musa was picked up at gunpoint from the rally,” Isa said, adding he had no idea who the perpetrators of the brutal killing were. A local journalist, Mehboob Ali, said other journalists returned from Matta town, but Musa preferred to stay there. “He was trying to get some information about the negotiations between the TNSM and the Taliban militants,” he added. However, Mehboob said it could not be ascertained as to who was accompanying the slain journalist. “Nobody saw him when he was being kidnapped, so it cannot be said who picked him up,” he added. Musa’s bullet-riddled body was found in Dedpanai area, some four kilometres off Matta town, in the evening. ìHe received 12 bullets at feet, hands and head,” his brother told The News by telephone while weeping. Musa was the fourth journalist killed in the valley. Sirajuddin was killed in a suicide bomb blast during the funeral of a slain DSP in Mingora in Feb 2008, while another journalist, Azizuddin, was killed in bombardment in Peuchar. A reporter of a local newspaper, Qari Muhammad Shoaib, was gunned down by the security forces in Mingora when he was returning home from hospital.The government has been issuing statements of “bringing the perpetrators of journalists’ killing to justice” just to soothe the community. Its assurances have proven false and not a single killer of the journalists has so far been arrested, let alone giving them exemplary punishment.The killing of the journalist not only eclipsed the hopes for peace but also shocked and saddened the journalist community across the country. Musa had been receiving threats for the last several months but he had refused to bow to any pressure. His family said he was manhandled and intimidated several times. “I have been receiving death threats from a powerful force. They are after me. They want to kill me,” he had communicated his apprehensions to his organisation. His organisation also took up the issue of threats with the authorities from whom he was allegedly receiving the threats. On Wednesday morning, he and his brother Isa were not allowed to cover the press conference of the NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Bilour at the Circuit House, which he instantly communicated to his office. Inspector-General Police, NWFP, Malik Naveed, told Geo News that some foreign hand could be involved in the killing of Musa. Musa was born on Feb 4, 1981 in Mingora. He started work for The News several years ago while got associated with Geo News on May 21, 2007. He was single and had five brothers and three sisters. The slain journalist was a brave reporter who continued his journalistic duty in the “valley of death” during escalated conflict and violence and faced all dangers fearlessly for the more than 20 months of turmoil. He did not leave Swat and preferred to inform Geo’s viewers and The News readers about the happenings in the valley. His colleagues in the valley brought his body to Makanbagh Chowk (square), and strongly protested his killing. They demanded of the government to bring the perpetrators of the heinous act to justice and provide security to other journalists. His funeral will be held at 2 pm in Mingora.Our Islamabad correspondent adds: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, federal ministers, journalist organisations and leaders of various political parties have strongly condemned the killing of Musa Khankhel and expressed their deep grief and shock over the tragic incident.In their separate messages, the president and the prime minister conveyed their condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family. They prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.They have ordered an immediate inquiry into this tragic happening and asked the concerned authorities to take action to arrest and bring the culprits to justice. Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik and Federal Minister Sherry Rehman also condemned the murder of Geo and The News correspondent. The adviser directed the inspector-general police, NWFP, to submit a detailed report on the murder.Terming the killing an attack on the freedom of the press, Rehman Malik and Sherry Rehman reiterated the government’s commitment to bring the culprits to justice and give them exemplary punishment. MQM chief Altaf Hussain, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and President National Peace Jirga on Swat Enam-ur-Rehman also condemned the brutal killing of the journalist and condoled with the bereaved family. Also, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists condemned the incident and announced a countrywide protest against the killing of Musa Khankhel. The media organisations would stage demonstrations across the country today to press the government for the arrest of the culprits.
Wana Press Club building blown up
WANA/PESHAWAR: Rubbing salt into the wounds of the journalist community, unidentified armed men on Wednesday blew up the newly-constructed building of the Wana Press Club in South Waziristan Agency.The unfortunate incident happened the same day a correspondent of The News and Geo News Musa Khankhel was gunned down in Matta Tehsil of the militancy-stricken Swat Valley after he was kidnapped from the peace rally of TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad.Official and tribal sources told The News from Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, by telephone that around 12 armed masked men forced their entry into the press club building and forced eight personnel of paramilitary Khasadar Force to surrender.The Khasadars, who were armed and deployed there to protect the press club building, were given 15 minutes by the armed assailants to leave the premises. According to Khasadar personnel, eight of the armed men entered the press club while four stood outside the two storeyed-building.They said the armed men were carrying two bags of explosives, which they later planted in various parts of the press club building. Within no time, they said, the press club building was razed to the ground with three heavy explosions.
Sufi leads peace rally to Taliban stronghold Matta
MINGORA: Maulana Sufi Mohammad, Chief of the Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), Wednesday reached Matta, the stronghold of militants in the volatile Swat Valley, as part of his peace mission.However, he could not hold talks with his son-in-law as widely expected by euphoric people who largely participated in his rally to play their part in the peaceful solution to the Swat problem.Earlier, Sufi Mohammad along with thousands of his supporters took out a peace rally, which after passing through various roads of Mingora culminated at the Tableeghi Markaz where special prayers were offered for the restoration of peace.Earlier, talking to The News, spokesman for the TNSM Amir Izzat Khan said that the rally was part of the peace initiative and an effort to remove the trepidations of the people of Swat. Izzat Khan said the peace rally would go to Matta and, if contacted, will hold talks with the Swat Taliban for laying down arms.He said the TNSM would devise a future strategy after holding talks with the Taliban in Charbagh. He said they would listen to their viewpoint. The spokesman said Sufi Mohammad would stay in Swat district till the complete restoration of peace in the valley and surrender by the Taliban.NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour on Wednesday said the provincial government was negotiating with everyone for the restoration of peace and normalcy in the restive Swat Valley.Meanwhile, a meeting of the Swat chapter of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was held on Wednesday at an unidentified location in Matta tehsil in which top commanders and Fazlullah’s lieutenants participated. They reportedly constituted a committee to hold talks with the TNSM.Speaking at a press conference here at the Circuit House (this correspondent was not allowed to cover the event), NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Bilour said it was due to their negotiations that peace was being restored in the restive valley. He thanked Maulana Sufi Mohammad for his efforts to restore peace.Provincial Minister for Environment Wajid Ali Khan, Minister for Science and Technology Mohammad Ayub Khan, member provincial assembly Sher Shah Khan and District Coordination Officer Shaukat Ali Khan Yousufzai were also present on the occasion.Bashir Bilour also thanked the people of Swat for voting the ANP to power in the hope of bringing peace to the valley. He said the ANP once signed an accord with the Taliban and now it had reached an accord with TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad.The minister said the Sharai Nizam-e-Adl Regulation could also be replicated in other districts following its success in Malakand region. The provincial government wanted to solve problems through dialogue as use of force was not a solution to problems, he added. He said that courts in Malakand would not be like that of Afghanistan’s Taliban but the regulation was aimed at providing speedy justice.A 14-member delegation of the TNSM, headed by central Nazim-e-Adl Safiullah, met Bashir Bilour at the Circuit House and discussed the regulation in detail. Bilour said that efforts by the TNSM would prove fruitful in bringing back peace to the valley.Agencies add: Earlier, Sufi Muhammad and his supporters, carrying black and white flags representing the Taliban and peace, marched through Swat’s main city of Mingora as jubilant residents chanted “God is great! We want peace”!Police and witnesses estimated that 15,000 people marched in the crowd as they paraded through the town with the cleric, who advised them to recite only verses from the holy Quran. The marchers later drove through nearby villages to muster support for their call to militants to shun violence.“We have come here for peace,” Sufi Mohammad told around 3,000 people in Matta, a militants’ stronghold, some 18 km north of Mingora. “Without peace, Shariah (Islamic law) cannot be enforced,” he said as militants carrying AK-47 assault rifles strolled nearby.“We’re Taliban. Everybody here is Taliban ... We won’t accept anything short of the Shariah system,” Saifur Rehman, a resident of Matta, told Reuters after Sufi Mohammad’s speech. Local residents lined the main roads, greeting Sufi Mohammad, who was jailed in Pakistan for six years after returning from Afghanistan where he led thousands of supporters to fight against US-led troops who toppled the Taliban in 2001.Amnesty International believes that over the past year, more than 1,200 people have been killed and 2,00,000-5,00,000 displaced from Swat as a result of fighting between hardliners trying to impose Shariah and the government.Geo News adds: The peace marchers then drove to the nearby Khwazakhela town, another hotbed of Swat Taliban.This was the last report filed by our slain correspondent
Official of opulation welfare kidnapped in Hangu
KOHAT, Feb 18: Unidentified armed persons picked up a senior official of population welfare department from his office in Hangu city on late Tuesday night. Officials said that the watchman told police that six armed men came in vehicles and forcibly opened the door of the office-cum-residence of assistant director of population welfare department, Habibur Rehman. They tied him up and took him away along with three official vehicles including ambulance and generator at gun point, the watchman added. The kidnapped official is a resident of Bhakhar district of Punjab. The city police have registered a case against unidentified kidnappers and started investigations.
Polio coordinator, three others abducted in Darra
KOHAT, Feb 17: Unidentified armed persons have kidnapped the coordinator of polio programme for Kohat and its Frontier Region and three other employees of health department in Darra Adamkhel in two separate incidents. Sources said that Dr Sameen Shah was coming to Kohat from Peshawar along with his assistant Aurangzeb when he went missing with the official vehicle. In another incident two other employees of health department of Federally Administered Tribal Areas were kidnapped by unidentified persons from the Indus Highway. The kidnapped employees were identified as Fayyaz Khan and Nimroze Khan. The political administration had started efforts for the recovery of the four kidnapped officials of the health department.
6 tribesmen killed in Kurram
PARACHINAR, Feb 18: Six members of Turi tribe were killed and three others sustained injuries when armed persons of Maqbal tribe reportedly opened fire on them in Kurram tribal region on Wednesday. Local people said the people of Turi tribe were cutting trees at a nearby mountain, Tur Ghar, in Shakh area when armed persons of Maqbal tribe attacked them. They said that the attackers killed Gulzar Hussain, Didar Hussain, Riaz Hussain, Nasir Hussain, Nadeem Hussain and Anwar Ali on the spot. Three others sustained injuries in the attack and they were rushed to a hospital in Parachinar. Tense calm prevailed in the area after the gory incident. People from different of walks of life condemned the killing and demanded immediate action against the attackers. Meanwhile, security forces arrested a driver and recovered rounds of 12.7 machineguns from his vehicle on Baleshkhel checkpost. Sources said the officials on duty stopped a vehicle at the checkpoint and recovered huge quantity of arms from it. The driver of the vehicle, Syed Rehman, was taken into custody.
Girls’ schools blown up, 8 killed in Bajaur
KHAR: Militants on Wednesday blew up two more girls’ schools in the Bajaur Agency while security forces claimed killing eight militants in the area.Sources said two government girls’ primary schools in Nawagai and Chargo areas of Salarzai Tehsil were blown up by unidentified miscreants early in the day. The spokesman for the banned outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Maulvi Omar, had threatened to blow up schools in the area. About 30 schools — most of them girls’ schools — have been destroyed by the militants in the agency. A rocket was also fired at the security forces checkpost at Khar, Tehsil headquarters, but caused no loss of life or property. Meanwhile, sources said security forces targeted the hideouts of the militants by jet fighters, gunship helicopters and artillery shelling in different areas of Khar Tehsil. Eight militants were killed and five others sustained injuries during shelling.
Obama approves 17,000 additional troops for Afghanistan
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Tuesday approved 17,000 additional troops for Afghanistan this spring and summer, calling the increase as necessary to stabilise the country, where the security has been on the continuous downslide in the face of a spreading Taliban insurgency.“This increase is necessary to stabilise a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires,” Obama said in a statement.Under the plan, the new troop deployment is expected to include 8,000 Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as well as 4,000 additional Army troops from Fort Lewis, Washington. Another 5,000 troops will be deployed at a later date to support combat troops, bringing the total to 17,000.In the White House statement, Obama said: “There is no more solemn duty as the president than the decision to deploy our armed forces into harm’s way. I do it today mindful that the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan demands urgent attention and swift action.” According to CNN, all 17,000 troops will go to the southern region of Afghanistan. They will also train Afghan army units. Obama said he had approved Defence Secretary Robert Gates request to meet urgent security needs. “This increase has been requested by General McKiernan and supported by Secretary Gates, the Joint Chiefs and the Commander of Central Command. General McKiernan’s request for these troops is months old, and the fact that we are going to responsibly drawdown our forces in Iraq allows us the flexibility to increase our presence in Afghanistan.”The US leader said he ordered a review of the American policy upon taking office, in order to have a “comprehensive strategy and the necessary resources to meet clear and achievable objectives in Afghanistan and the region.”“This troop increase does not pre-determine the outcome of that strategic review. Instead, it will further enable our team to put together a comprehensive strategy that will employ all elements of our national power to fulfill achievable goals in Afghanistan.“As we develop our new strategic goals, we will do so in concert with our friends and allies as together we seek the resources necessary to succeed.” Meanwhile, in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, Obama said he was “absolutely convinced that you cannot solve the problem of Afghanistan, the Taliban, the spread of extremism in that region solely through military means.”“I think Afghanistan is still winnable, in the sense of our ability to ensure that it is not a launching pad for attacks against North America. I think it’s still possible for us to stamp out al-Qaeda to make sure that extremism is not expanding but rather is contracting. I think all those goals are still possible, but I think that as a consequence to the war on Iraq, we took our eye off the ball. We have not been as focused as we need to be on all the various steps that are needed in order to deal with Afghanistan.”“If you’ve got narco-trafficking that is funding the Taliban, if there is a perception that there’s no rule of law in Afghanistan, if we don’t solve the issue of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, then we’re probably not going to solve the problem,” he added.Meanwhile, Afghan officials on Wednesday welcomed US President Barack Obama’s decision to send 17,000 more soldiers to fight a Taliban-led insurgency here but ordinary people feared more troops would mean more attacks.“It’s a positive move,” Afghan defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Is’haq Payman told AFP. “But we have our own conditions. We want these troops to be deployed in areas where they could play a positive role in suppressing terrorists,” he said.“We want them to be deployed along the border, in eastern, southeastern and southern parts of the country.” Their presence was vital for the vote, said foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen. Weak security in the south, where the insurgency is most intense, has sparked fears that the election could be jeopardised. “These additional troops can help improve security in the country so our people vote freely,” Baheen told AFP.
Faith Wars, By Ayesha Siddiqa
DAWN Feb 14: Recently, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani lauded the role Sufi Islam could play in keeping the society away from religious extremism. Lest we consider this a personal bias, since he represents the Sufi tradition himself, similar sentiments were expressed by others as well. One such example is the 2007 RAND Corporation paper, Building Moderate Muslim Networks, which identifies Sufi Islam as one of the potential forces within an Islamic society that must be strengthened to fight the rising intolerance, extremism, and violence in Muslim societies. Although the RAND report pertained to the Middle East, it could be equally applied to Pakistan, which suffers from a high risk of religious conservatism often bordering on extremism. Pakistan, in fact, makes an interesting case study for the battle between Sufi Islam and the much more rabid Salafi Islam for two obvious reasons. First, it is a country with equally dominant traditions and institutions of Sufi Islam that were critical in spreading the religion in the Indian Subcontinent. For that reason, many argue that Punjab, especially southern Punjab, which has drawn international attention particularly after the Mumbai attacks, cannot fall to Salafi Islam because it is a hub of Sufi – or what is popularly known as Barelvi – Islam. The wife of Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Farahnaz Isphani, expressed such views a few months ago in a CNN interview. Second, unlike Turkey, where Sufi institutions were throttled by Kamal Attaturk, or Saudi Arabia, where the state shut down similar institutions to accommodate Salafi Islam, Sufi traditions have continued to thrive in Pakistan. This raises the question about the viability of Sufi Islam to push back the forces of religious fundamentalism and extremism. Will Sufi Islam ultimately win the battle against Salafi Islam? More importantly, how has Salafi Islam managed to build inroads in areas once considered to be strongholds of Sufi Islam? The prime minister’s own home town Multan and all of southern Punjab have fallen pray to militancy and extremism. So, what is it that has pushed people away from the traditional patterns of faith? For some scholars of Islam, especially those from the West such as Carl W. Ernst, Sufi Islam is a powerful force. In Pakistan’s society and politics, Sufi Islam represented by the shrines and pirs has always played a critical role. In fact, successive governments including that of Ayub Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Ziaul Haq representing different political traditions wooed the pirs or sajjada nasheens. There are many who believe that the rise in extremism is not a reflection on the waning strength of Sufi Islam because a majority of the people continue to owe allegiance to pirs. Quantitatively, Sufi Islam remains part of the popular religious tradition or a religion of the masses. Go to any shrine and you will observe hundreds and thousands of people, mainly the poor and destitute, congregating around the shrine and seeking forgiveness and a passport to heaven stamped by the living saint or pir. It is precisely in these areas that Wahabism and Deobandi Islam seems to spread slowly but gradually. In fact, southern Punjab, once considered a hub of Sufi Islam, is a region lately making waves in terms of growing militancy. This is not to argue that the influence of pirs has reduced, but that there is a certain vacuum which is now being filled by a more rabid brand of Islam. The reason for such developments pertains to the various complex socio-political and socioeconomic developments which have changed the face of the society. First, successive governments systematically tried to tailor institutions of Sufi Islam according to their own political needs. According to the scholar of Sufi Islam, Katherine Ewing, General Ayub Khan viewed the pirs and shrines as an impediment to his agenda of modernizing Pakistan and thus tried to control their growth and behavior by establishing alternative institutions such as the Auqaf. The ministry was meant not only to regulate the shrines and bring them under state control, but also use the opportunity to reduce the influence of the pirs and sajjada nasheens. This objective, however, could not be achieved, as the control of the shrine did not minimize the influence of the pir who was considered by the people as the key interlocutor between them and God. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who followed Ayub Khan, did not directly challenge Sufi Islam as it was the popular religion followed by the masses. However, he continued with the Auqaf with the intent of regulating the influence of the pirs, some of whom were considered as political rivals. The pirs and shrines were so important as part of the indigenous religious tradition that despite the fact that Ziaul Haq subscribed to Salafi Islam, he could not demolish the influence of the pirs. However, the politics of successive governments further co-opted pirs in power politics. Second, the decade of the 1980s was a major catalyst in providing new direction to traditional and conservative cultures. For instance, the call to jihad to free Afghanistan from Soviet invasion attracted a lot of people from southern Punjab. This influence was predated by the impact of southern Punjabis who had migrated to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries to work. These people brought Deobandi and Wahabi influences back with them. Third, part of the process of the co-option of pirs by the state was the increase in their political power. Traditionally, the rulers cultivated the pirs through award of land and similar rewards. So, the pirs were effectively also major landowners of their area. Gradually, the pirs of their families began to take part in state politics as well, hence, becoming part of the hegemonic order in their areas. A pir was not just a spiritual leader, but also a major economic and political stakeholder. Greater power not only enhanced the greed for more power but also resulted in corruption of the Sufi order. The spiritual control of people was used to manipulate the public in order to maintain political and economic power. Thus characters such as Pir Pagara used their following to build their political strength, which, in turn, was used to manipulate the state and gain greater personal dividends. The manipulation worked both ways. For instance, Ziaul Haq installed his hand picked man as the sajjada nasheen of the shrine of Bari Imam to influence the followers. The original family of pirs was thrown out and a new pir installed who was under greater control of the military dictator. Moreover, since, even powerful political people visited the shrines, these turned into places where important negotiations were carried out with the pirs acting as interlocutors. Senior bureaucrats and government officials would visit pirs who were frequented by top political leaders. The pir of Golra Sharif is one such example. While the pirs became part of a hegemonic order that concentrated power in the hands of a few, a new class began to emerge which can be termed as the new capital. The trader-merchants in the rural areas, in particular, who represent the middle class, have the money but not the political capital. Their anxiety to gain political power emanates from the fact that the political system has no space to renegotiate power. This class then is critical in supporting and aiding the Wahabi and Deobandi forces through funding madrassahs and militancy. Contrary to the view that religious seminaries were always part of the local tradition, the new generation of madrassahs that are critical in encouraging militancy are a new phenomenon. Most of these began to grow under Ziaul Haq’s reign and were initially known for fanning sectarian hatred that then evolved into encouraging extremist values. The madrassahs and militant outfits attracted pockets of lower class and politically and economically dispossessed people who did not have a future due to the hegemonic system. Since the pirs were also the hegemons, the Wahabi and Deobandi clerics could not only build a case against them, but also against Sufi Islam. Hence, purely in qualitative terms, Wahabi and Deobandi Islam appear an alternative to the dispossessed, especially the youth. While the educated ones amongst the younger lot of the population see Salafi Islam as a way of challenging the hegemonic order, though unconsciously, others are attracted to this brand of Islam due to the sense of empowerment it provides and its comparative modernity. In a hegemonic system where access to God is based on the whims of an individual, Salafi Islam appears attractive to many, as it does not pose such conditions. The path to God and spiritualism also means that people can only get access through the pir, which in turn means negotiating through the cronies or khalifas (religious assistants) of the pir. This is certainly an arduous task as compared to what Salafi Islam offers – the route to God and forgiveness can be obtained through martyrdom. Further, martyrs contribute to transforming the future of other Muslims, which ensures that they would be rewarded in the next life. In addition, the martyr would earn greater rewards such as 70 hooris, a crown of gold and jewels, and the ability to seek forgiveness for seventy other people. Interestingly, the visualization of jihad is about freeing helpless Muslim women from brutal un-Islamic governments. Furthermore, Salafi Islam appears much more modern in outlook. For instance, the militant outfits use published literature, CDs, and DVDs to disseminate their message. The pirs on the other hand depend on word of mouth and traditions to attract people. In any case, the pirs and sajjada nasheens are limited in their capacity to reach out to people. While they seek offerings from the disciples, they hardly use modern techniques to reach out to the people. Sufi Islam certainly has a lot of potential in stemming the tide of extremism in the country. It is also a much more tolerant and secular form of religion that reaches out to all sorts of people irrespective of their caste, creed, ethnicity, colour, or race. However, the fulfillment of this potential is another matter. In the coming decade, more and more people will continue to drift towards Salafi Islam due to a lack of options.
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