Why did the authorities remain so relaxed towards the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for so long
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: I do not want to comment on the investigations being carried out by Pakistani law-enforcement agencies on whether the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is behind the Pathankot attack or not. The truth will surface shortly, provided we realise the extent of the role being played by non-state actors, thanks to our nationwide ostrich-like approach. My question is: what is the definition of a ‘banned outfit’? Let’s forget that the websites of the Ministry of Interior and Nacta will ever help you in this regard; we should be grateful if they provide even a list of banned outfits. It is a fact that the JeM was banned in 2002, but does it mean that it’s still permitted to maintain bank accounts, operate religious seminaries and party offices, maintain an interactive website, publish hate material and jihadi literature, and that its supporters are allowed to arrange gatherings addressed by the leadership? The JeM didn’t even bother to change its name as its counterparts did after 2002; Lashkar-e-Taiba became Jamaatud Dawa and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan became the ASWJ. Why did the authorities remain so relaxed towards the JeM for that long — is it because they don’t attack Pakistanis? What an ill-thought out scenario. If a banned outfit limits itself to cross-border terrorism, then what about our mantra of not permitting our soil to be used against other countries for terrorism? Don’t we feel shame repeating this mantra day in and day out?
After losing more than 50,000 Pakistanis at the hands of our once-milked snakes, and making a Pakistani link a permanent feature in any terrorist activity in the region and beyond, where do we stand and what is the change between today and December 16, 2014? For me, there is no difference. If the purpose of the National Action Plan (NAP) and constitutional amendments to establish military courts was only to launch the Karachi operation, then let’s change its name from NAP to KAP, with the ‘K’ for Karachi. Why bother about all these embarrassing questions on active but ‘banned’ outfits under the very nose of the NAP?
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2016.
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