Media reports say that the banned Hizb ul Tahrir (HuT) is mounting pressure on Pakistan for the release of its detained cadres, particularly Naveed Butt, its chief spokesman who is languishing in Kot Lakhpat Jail. The outfit also wants Pakistan to release Dr Ahmed, a doctor by profession, who had brought the likes of Brig Ali Khan into HuT fold along with four Majors. Others on the list of 13 include Zeeshan Akhtar, a textile engineer, Qamar Abbas, professor in economics, Shehryar Najam, a business expert, Shahzad Ahmed Malik, electronics engineer, Arshad Jamal, Information Technology expert and Agha Tahir, a textile engineer, , Saad Jagranvi, Manzar Aziz, (both businessmen), Kamran Sheikh, Saleem Sethi, Asad Jagranvi (all teachers),
How and why the HuT leadership deemed it fair and proper to seek the release of these arrested men at this juncture remains unclear. But judged by the response its request has received from the Foreign Office, it is possible HuT thinks time is ripe for such an appeal. Put differently, HuT is going to return to frontlines in Pakistan with its campaign for beginning the caliphate of the 21st century from the land of the pure.
The appeal for release handed over to Pakistani missions in Indonesia, Jordan, Tunisia and Sudan shows that HuT has not lost its channels and is in a position to become active unmindful of the ban on its activities. In this respect, HuT is in the good company of JuD and JeM, whose leaders and cadres are unaffected by the official bans. Musharraf regime cracked the whip on HuT in 2003 and arrested several of its activists who were engaged in recruitments from various university campuses.
Consider Zahid Gishkori dispatch in The News International (May 9, 2016)
“The officials of Hizbut Tahrir, Indonesia visited the mission and handed over release [communication] along with a list of activists who were allegedly detained by Pakistani’s security agencies without any charges. The three-member delegation also demanded immediate release of these innocent Pakistanis,” read a confidential communication faxed by Pakistani Mission in Jakarta to Foreign Office on April 15. The fax and other official communication record is also made available with Geo News.
“In view of HuT’s demand—all stakeholders are requested to look into activities of the banned terrorist organisation and take appropriate action as required under the Anti-Terrorism Act,” Foreign Office in response to aforementioned fax wrote to Ministry of Interior on April 22. Foreign Affairs Ministry in this special message to ministry of interior has also sought details of members of HuT, allegedly in Pakistani jails. The copy of this letter was also sent to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) accordingly.
Unlike the al Qaeda and Taliban, the HuT is not known to subscribe to violent jihad to achieve its goals. It is known to have infiltrated the Pakistan Army, which from the Zia years has been radicalised particularly at the middle and lower levels.
Pleading their case, members of HuT reportedly told Pakistani diplomats, it is not “too late for you people to raise voice to right these injustices against HuT”.
“We leave in your care and trust, a list of some of the advocates of the Khilafah that are currently imprisoned or abducted, reminding you of your duty to right the injustice and end the oppression,” read HuT communication handed over to diplomats,and posted on the HuT website.
Secretary Foreign Affairs Aizaz Chaudhry confirmed this to Geo News. “The said missions received some unsigned communications of this nature which were passed on to the ministry of interior”, he was quoted as saying in The News.
What will be the end result of the exercise?
Significantly, HuT’s re-emergence from shadows comes days after Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of secular politician and governor of Punjab Province, Salman Taseer, has a shrine built in his honour at his native village near Islamabad.
Qadri was hanged to death on Feb 29, 2016 at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where he was held as he went through motions of appeal for mercy for the past five years. His funeral held the next day at Liaqat National Bagh in Rawalpindi was attended by an estimated 100,000 people. Barelvis, whom the West considers as less fundamentalist, attended the funeral in large numbers.
Qadri had shot dead Taseer 28 times on Jan 4, 2011; as he told the trial court, he was provoked by Taseer’s statements in support of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman charged with blasphemy. Today, the situation is no different from what it was when Qadri pointed the gun at his master. In fact, the situation has deteriorated creating a sense of near panic amongst the minorities, particularly Christians and Hindus.
Pakistan is a highly radicalised society. Most leading lights of jihadi campaign are based in Punjab, the province is also the home base of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Whether it is Jamaat-ud-dawa (JuD), which keeps changing its calling card or Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) are thriving in this socially, politically and economically advanced province of Pakistan.
The Army has extended its operations to Punjab too in recent days but the new mission is neither here nor there for the reason that the likes of JuD and JeM are the extended arm of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) which has been nurturing them to achieve GHQ Shura’s strategic goals in India and Afghanistan. The fact that the JuD chief Hafeez Saeed has started his own Sharia courts for quick delivery of justice is real give away to his status as a Holy Cow.
Hafeez has also been active as an NGO through his Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FiF) not only in drought hit regions of Sindh province but also abroad from Syria and Gaza in West Asia to Myanmar, Indonesia (Aceh), and East Timor in South-east Asia. Saeed’s missions are a success because of the imprimatur granted by the GHQ Shura.
All goes to show that HuT is set to gain a reasonable space in Pakistan. Yes, it is no cut in the mode of al Qaeda and Taliban in matters of jihad. But it is no less passionate about the end result. And unlike its contemporaries, HuT believes in working through the system and systematic indoctrination. It will exploit the boom in seminaries that Pakistan has been witnessing in the absence of government checks. This is bad news for liberals in Pakistan, a breed that finds a place on world’s endangered species list.
–Allabaksh