Members of the Barelvi sect, which esteems shrines, have condemned adherents of Wahhabi, which regards historic sites as idols that should be destroyed and whose followers include elements of the Taliban, al Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups.

Government officials and analysts say exploiting the differences between the sects is part of a strategy by al Qaeda and its local affiliates to foment unrest and find new sanctuaries in cities, as well as recruit militants.

The July 1 attack on the centuries-old Data Darbar complex, which houses the tomb of Muslim sage Hazrat Ali Hajveri, left 45 people dead and triggered large-scale protests against the provincial government of Punjab for harboring and abetting terrorists.

The attack on the mosque appears to have strengthened anti-Taliban and anti-al Qaeda sentiment in Pakistan, but it also is prompting new fears of large-scale sectarian clashes in Pakistan’s provinces.

Officials in the Pakistani Interior Ministry said the attacks appeared to be tied to an al Qaeda strategy of triggering sectarian clashes. Sectarian strife would destabilize society to the benefit of the terrorists, who would seek to set up bases and sanctuaries in cities.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, suggested that repeated attacks from U.S.-operated Predator drones in the country’s remote tribal areas have put al Qaeda and its offshoots under severe pressure to move from the countryside into the cities.

"Obviously, the purpose of the [mosque] bombing was to create chaos, uncertainty, to challenge the state authority and weaken people’s confidence in the state," Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based political analyst, told The Washington Times.

"Yes, al Qaeda has a strategy to destabilize Pakistan, but these groups also have their own agenda. These sectarian groups have been fighting with each other before even some of them came close to al Qaeda," he said.

"Seemingly, here the agendas of al Qaeda and Pakistani militant groups coincide, and the incident may be the outcome of this. It is unfortunate that the Barelvis are looking at the incident only in sectarian terms."

Mr. Rizvi said the attack on Data Darbar is expected to worsen sectarian polarization of Pakistani society. Yet there is also a greater realization in the country that these groups must be challenged, he said.

The divide between Barelvi and Wahabi is more than canonical. The Barelvi sect originated in the Indian subcontinent to defend traditional Islamic practices against reform efforts. Wahabi, which has its origins in Saudi Arabia, aims to reform Islam by codifying and enforcing a strict, conservative interpretation of the Koran.

In response to the attack, leaders of Barelvi sect, including 20 political and religious groups called the Sunni Unity Council, launched a nationwide movement this month against what they call the "Talibanization" of the country. They also vowed to take up arms for the battle.

Barelvi leaders blamed Punjab Taliban groups and their al Qaeda allies for the attack on the Lahore shrine, adding that the attack is part of the terrorists’ strategy to control Pakistan.

Tehrik-i-TalibanPakistan (TTP), the largest umbrella group of Pakistani Taliban, has denied involvement in the attack. The group’s spokesman, Azam Tariq, said the attack was masterminded and executed by the U.S. through private defense contractors to create schisms among the local population.

"This is shrewd on the part of TTP, which has been serving as the action arm and mouthpiece of al Qaeda in Pakistan, to cover up for the strategy, as well as to avoid the public anger. Otherwise, the attack has a signature of al Qaeda and TTP on it," said Imran Khan, a local researcher on Taliban and al Qaeda.

While holding the Punjab Taliban responsible for the shrine attack, Barelvi clerics have accused the government of Punjab, the largest province in Pakistan, of supporting Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists, particularly adherents of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah, who organize attacks on shrines.

Jama’at-ud-Da’wah is the alias of the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan’s federal government recently blamed Punjab’s government for doling out public money to Jama’at-ud-Da’wah.

India has blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba for the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed more than 160 people.

After the shrine attack in Lahore, the chairman of the Sunni Unity Council, Sahibzada Fazal Karim, said Sunnis would continue their protest until the Punjab government cuts off its "links with terrorists" and ousts officials who are "sympathizers of Taliban."

Fauzia Wahab, a spokeswoman for the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, accused the Punjab government of supporting Taliban terrorists. Speaking in Lahore, she said Punjab "will have to shun the policy of patronizing militants to curb the menace of terrorism."

Ms. Wahab also chided the Punjab government for providing about $1 million to Jama’at-ud-Da’wah.

Punjab’s government is ruled by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), which is headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Ousted in a military coup in 1999, Mr. Sharif spent much of his exile in Saudi Arabia and has been accused of receiving financial support from Osama bin Laden. He returned to Pakistan in 2007.

Punjab’s governor, Salman Taseer, also has accused his province’s elected government of abetting Taliban terrorists.

In an interview with a local TV station, Mr. Taseer said that although several terrorists had been brought to trial, including those who attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team last year in Lahore, the government’s weak prosecution of their cases allowed the terrorists to be acquitted because of a lack of evidence. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/21/islamists-exploit-sectarian-shrine-rift-in-pakista/print/

2. Why counter terrorism body chief quit his job: By Umar Cheema in the News, July 22
ISLAMABAD: The inside story of why the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Chairman Tariq Pervez resigned on Tuesday is a sordid tale of a power struggle in which the chairman was so badly treated that it caused a major embarrassment for the country in May 2009.

The chairman of NACTA, perhaps the worst hit place in the world, was not even allowed an air-conditioner in his single room office. When in May last year a Canadian military delegation  came to see him, one of the members collapsed under the intense heat, fell unconscious and wetted his pants. The chairman and his staff poured water to bring him back and amid the sorry saga, the delegation left wondering what kind of anti-terrorism set-up Pakistan was running.

This story was confirmed by senior NACTA officials but was then kept under the wraps as it would have embarrassed the country. Tariq Pervez then wrote a long memo to the interior ministry, giving details of the incident and begged for an air-conditioner which was then provided.

Apart from such a treatment, differences over the new law for the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), recruitment of 200 staffers and most importantly the question as to who will control the foreign funds coming from the Western donors were major factors behind the NACTA chairman’s resignation.

Although, Tariq Pervez has cited personal reasons for his resignation, it did not happen overnight as the chairman’s patience was put to test for the last two years who, instead of earning a bad name for doing nothing, chose to make a graceful exit, said an official privy to the development.

Former DG FIA, Tariq Pervez, is a man of integrity, considered an expert on terrorism who investigated many high-profile cases including those arrested in connection with attacks on Pervez Musharraf. By the time he accepted the government’s request to head the NACTA, he was also being convinced by the UN to lead a counter-terrorism department at its headquarters and he turned down the offer in order to serve in Pakistan, it has been learnt.

His resignation is a sort of indictment of the government that has so far failed to evolve a national counter-terrorism policy when Pakistan has been facing the worst terrorism in the world since 2001, causing colossal human and material losses, according to security experts.

Tariq Pervez refused to take any question, saying he would not indulge in any controversy. The interior minister and the federal secretary could not be reached despite several efforts to contact them on their cell phones and through text messages. While the Interior Ministry high-ups were not immediately available, sources close to the decision makers rejected the charges and reasons being presented for the resignation of Tariq Pervez. They said there were no differences over control of NACTA and soon the new law would be finalised.

Officials privy to these developments say the NACTA has been cold-shouldered by the Interior Ministry since its inception in 2008. The worst part was that Chairman Tariq Pervez was confined to a single room in the Interior Ministry without even an air conditioner in the sizzling summer heat. Several requests for an A/C were rejected under the pretext of shortage of funds.

Such was the supposed shortage of funds, that NACTA staff who had to travel to other cities for assignments would do it at their own expense. On several occasions, the volunteers who, in fact, were employed in UN organisations, offered their own vehicles for travelling, said an official, but there was no response from the government.

Once the issue of space was settled by hiring a private house in the F-8 Sector, NACTA’s law draft emerged as the bone of contention. Tariq Pervez, who authored the draft proposing the prime minister as the head of the board of governors while the interior minister wanted to be the head himself.

The NACTA officials believed that to bring this authority under the control of the Interior Ministry would undermine its efforts and objectives. Interior minister, then admitting the differences over proposed draft, had told ‘The News’ senior correspondent, Tariq Butt in March this year that the issue would be resolved soon. Now after four months, the issue is still unresolved, forcing the NACTA chairman to resign.

As the proposed law draft would give financial autonomy to the NACTA when it comes directly under the control of Prime Minister’s Secretariat, it did not go well with the Interior Ministry bosses, officials said.

The NACTA is now being flooded with foreign funds as Western donors have pinned high hopes on the newly established authority but the differences over authorisation of funds still remains a sore point. Recently, the European Union granted 15 million Euros under its programme — Civilian Capacity Building of Law Enforcement Agencies. The funding was for all law enforcement agencies round the country but one million euro would go exclusively to the NACTA.

Apart from differences over the NACTA draft, the issue of recruitment also emerged as Tariq Pervez wanted to do it on merit while the Interior Ministry bosses had their own plans to make inductions on political basis.

Before it could be done, Tariq decided to call it a day, said one of his close colleagues. Coincidentally when Tariq Khosa was removed as the DG FIA and appointed as Secretary Narcotics, one reason behind his sacking among others was his blunt refusal to entertain any political request in recruitment of 50 FIA inspectors. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=30223