Difa-e-Pakistan Council plans mammoth event later this month

Council earlier played a crucial role in persuading the govt to revisit ties with US in 2011 following Salala incident

ISLAMABAD: Despite controversy over the activities of banned organisations in the public domain, the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) is planning to hold a large scale gathering later this month.

In May this year, DPC – an alliance of various religious and political groups such as Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) – revived its activities. The council earlier played a crucial role in persuading the government to revisit ties with the United States in 2011 following the Salala incident. Talking to The Express Tribune, JuD spokesman Asif Khursheed said DPC will hold rallies in Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on October 27 and 28 to criticise Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir.

He said formal permission for the events will be obtained from Islamabad district administration a week before the public gathering. According to him, so far DPC has not received any instructions from the government to either cancel or to postpone public gatherings in light of ongoing controversy over the role of ‘non-state actors’.

When contacted, interior ministry spokesman Sarfraz Ahmed said he does not know whether the ministry will permit DPC to hold public gatherings in the capital. He said he would tell what the ministry’s exact policy in this regard is after checking with concerned officials.

ASWJ Chief Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi, meanwhile, said “protecting the country’s sovereignty is not a crime.” He claimed DPC actively started its activities after the Abbottabad and Salala incidents “when the country faced external threats and religious groups stood with thePakistan Army.”

“Whenever Pakistan Army has needed us, we came forward and defended it,” added Ludhianvi, who will participate in DPC’s gathering in Islamabad on October 27.

Responding to another question, the religious leader said that he has suspended his party’s activities while following government’s instructions. However, he criticised the government for what he believed was its reluctance in taking action against Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain, who he said “openly chanted slogans against Pakistan.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League – Zia (PML-Z) chief Ejazul Haq, who actively participates in DPC gatherings, said all religious parties have a right to hold public gatherings and the government should give proof before banning any of them.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2016.