Drastic measures: Sunni Tehreek, ASWJ offices in New Karachi demolished

FC and police go door to door in Godhra Colony in the middle of the night.

KARACHI: The offices of the Sunni Tehreek (ST) and Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) were destroyed by the Frontier Constabulary (FC) and the police during a joint operation in Godhra Colony on Friday night.

At around 2:45 am, about 500 FC men conducted a door-to-door search in Godhra Camp after cordoning off the whole area. No one was allowed to enter or leave the area till 5 am, during the 135-minute operation.

According to the police, the federal government ordered the FC to launch the operation after a joint interrogation report found that that the offices were being used for terrorist activities. Javed Jabba of ST and Shoaib Ghanfia of the ASWJ, formerly known as the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP), who were arrested during earlier raids, revealed during interrogations that the offices of the ST and ASWJ were used to hatch plans for terrorist activities.

SHO Ishtiaq Ghauri confirmed that the FC received orders from the federal government to conduct the raids and the police provided back-up. He said that no arms or ammunition were found during the operation but some literature was seized.

Both organisations condemned the operation and claimed that it would provoke violence.

Fahim Qadri, the ST spokesman, claimed that the operation was illegal because they were not notified beforehand. “Even if the office was illegal, the agencies have to follow a certain procedure,” he said. “What is the job of the law enforcement agencies? Anti-encroachment, anti-terrorism or anti-extremism? They should join the city government.”

On the other hand, the ameer of the Karachi chapter of the ASWJ, Aurangzaib Farooqi, claimed that his organisation was not involved in any kind of terror activity. According to him, the security forces demolished a library since there was no office. “These raids will fuel resentment instead of establishing peace,” he said.

The residents have mixed opinions about the operation. Although many women and children took to the streets in protest when the operation began the security agencies were able to calm them down. Amir, a resident, said that security agencies could have saved many lives by taking this step earlier. Yet another resident, who refused to give his name, said that political parties were behind unrest in the city and should be punished. But he was sceptical about the operation. According to him, the government is acting against religious organisations at the behest of “foreign countries”.

The local administration also helped the FC and the police by providing them with bulldozers, equipment and labourers to raze illegal street barriers, banners, boards and the buildings. A heavy contingent of law enforcers was deployed in the area to deter violence and prevent reconstruction.

The offices of the ST and ASWJ were also raided on August 23. The ST headquarters near Bheempura was raided thrice by the Rangers. On October 7, the head office was raided again, twice in a day, and central leader, Shahid Ghauri, was arrested with a member of its rabita committee, Mobin Qadri, with six others. Besides ST, the offices of Muttahida Qaumi Moverment, Awami National Party, Peoples Amn Committee and the residence of the chief of Jeay Sindh Qaunmi Mahaz have also been searched.

About two dozen people, including women and children, lost their lives during armed clashes between the Deoband and Barelvi schools of thought earlier in the year and over half a dozen suspects from both organisations, involved in over 18 target killings and extortion in Godhra Camp were arrested with a huge cache of weapons.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2011.