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May 2, 2006
Pakistan: "Failed State" Refuses To Ban Two Islamist Groups
The Pakistan Daily Times reports that the nation's Foreign Office has announced that it will not ban two organisations which were last week listed by the US as terror groups. The two groups are Jamat-ud-Dawah and its affiliate group Isara Khidmat-e-Khalq.
Also spelled Jama'at-ud Da'awah, this group has claimed on its website that its leader, Professor Hafiz Mohammad has rejected the declaration by the US State department as a "terrorist" entity. He said the move was a gesture of appeasement to India, currently being courted by the US. He claimed that his group has helped the poor, and according to the Guardian, the group was one of the most popular extremist organisations which provided relief following the earthquake of October 8 last year.
The Guardian states that the organisation was banned by the Pakistani government in January 2002, but this ruling is now seen to have lapsed. Earlier today, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam, said that her government was under no obligation to comply with US wishes. She stated: "We are not required, and we do not put any entities on the terrorist lists, if action is taken under the domestic US law."
"However, if the UN Security Council's sanctions committee were to designate any organisation, then it becomes a legal obligation to take action."
On the website of Jamaat-ud-Dawah Pakistan, the ameer (leader) of Isara Khidmat-e-Khalq, Hafiz Abdur Rauf Said, is reported to claim that if helping the poor is "terrorism" then his group will continue to practice it.
The reason for the hostility towards the two groups is that they are seen as fundraising organisations for the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous), which was formed in 1989. This group is one of a dozen groups whose aim is to cause India to lose its control of Kashmir, and it is no stranger to terrorism. Yesterday's massacre of Kashmiri Hindus in Jammu & Kashmir state is believed to be the work of this group.
On October 29 in New Delhi a triple bomb attack killed 59 people, and Lashkar-e-Taiba were responsible, despite their earlier denials.
In July, 2004 the Jamaat-ud Dawa, which was founded in late 2001 after the 9/11 US attacks, had a minor rebellion within its ranks, when two senior members rebelled and formed Khair-un-Nasv, a rival group.
According to FAS Intelligence Resource Program, Jamaat-ud Dawa is inextricably linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. FAS states that Jamaat-ud Dawa was placed on a watchlist by President Musharraf in November 2003.
As well as stating the Pakistan Foreign Office's refusal to comply with US wishes concerning Jamaat-ud Dawa and Isara Khidmat-e-Khalq, Tasnim Aslam spoke of relations and the US being good, and described a plan for future rounds of consultative talks between America and Pakistan.
According to the Daily Times Pakistan has nonetheless dropped in a Washington list of "failed states". It is now number nine, when it was formerly number 34. The "top ten" failed states are, in numerical order: Sudan, DR Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Chad, Somalia, Haiti, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Dawn reports that the Pakistan-US Defence Consultative Group is meeting this week in the Pentagon to bolster military cooperation, and particularly the "war on terrorism". US Under-Secretary of State of Defence Eric Edleman will be discussing issues with Tariq Wasim Ghazi.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 2, 2006 9:35 PM
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