In what the BBC describes as a notification issued by the Interior Ministry two weeks ago, the ASWJ was suspected to have been involved in terrorism related activities of the Sipah-e-Sahaba, the defunct terror group.
The new notification, unannounced publicly, has been issued based on schedule-one of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
According to the copies of the notification available with the BBC, authorities in all four provinces have been alerted to the change in status.
The BBC claims it repeatedly tried to get a version from Interior Minister Rehman Malik, but to no avail.
The News reports that the recently issued notification also includes the names Shia Talba Tanzeem, People's Amn Committee and TNA Gilgit.
The ASWJ chief Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi said he was not aware of the ban. He, however, made it a point that if such a ban exists, it would be challenged in court.
He added that his group respected the laws, and that trying to impose a ban on his organisation was akin to imposing a ban on Pakistan.
Last month, the US had said that they believed the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), which, like the ASWJ operates under the banner of Difa-e-Pakistan Council, was a front for militant group like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned militant group just like the Sipah-e-Sahaba. The US also called for curbs to be placed on JuD head Hafiz Saeed.
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@Dr Priyanka: In your dream only
@bigsaf: Thank you for the correction. This should be corrected coz it is sending the wrong signal.
@SB:
Maybe you're confusing it with another organization with a similar name, probably the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat which is a Barelvi group, who are different from the group named in the article, and indeed considered overall non-violent despite their boycott of Taseer's funeral.
ASWJ (Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat) was the reincarnation of banned political religious Deobandi extremist sectarian group, SSP (Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan), which always maintained links with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (L-e-J) and other terrorist Wahhabi and Salafi groups, with both their members being interchangeable and involved in sectarian cleansing, that involved targeted killings and bombing massacres, mostly of minority Shia Muslims.
@Pakistaniat:
Dont you read the papers? Its already happening!
GOOD START, all killers are followers of yazeed.
Ahle Sunnat is a religious original ideology of how Islam started and should be. They should have nothing to do with politics. To the extent of my knowledge it was totally a peaceful party with no violence agenda. Wonder if terror seeking elements have infiltrated the party? I don't know. I hope and wish not nor think not. There must be some misunderstanding somewhere. If you say Salafies or Wahabies and aligned parties espouse militancy like TTP etc. or Jamanth e Islami their political spokesmen is understandable but to ban a non-violent jamath is very strange.
Banned is simply not good enough - exterminated is the word I am looking for
@Mehmood khan: WELL, you know, what does it mean . MORE funding, more recruits, complete freedom of action, no liability and back to the days of SSP. HA HA HA============
@BruteForce: That's ur wish and dream my Indian friend....But ur dream will never come true.....; inshallah!!!!!
Govt just Banned the "Name" not those "People" running it.
Ban all the religious jamaats I say. Islam and religion starts at home! We have had enough of these propagandas... Ban them all. Shia, sunni, deobandi, etc. everyone of them.... enough!! They are selfish inhumane people who have distorted the religion of tolerance and peace. I blame them all for the deaths of so many innocent people. Shame on them.. and shame on us as muslims and pakistanis. We too are ignorant and play so easily in the hands of such hoax mullas and moulvis. And most importantly - anyone who then breaks the law should be punished. Forget the courts I say, the people should punish them...Enough ... Wake up Pakistan
bann is not the solution having very less impact, proven in the past, the culprits should face the fair court proceedings and should get what they deserve for their actions.
US may be knowing them well bcz it created such orgs in 80s. Still no to sect or ethnic killings
Pretty soon Pakistan will be banned by the World in the garb of sanctions if it continues to produce Jihadis at an alarming rate.
Good decision.
Very late, i kow it is terrorist organization since my childhood, It is a not a big surprise, but a big move which was overdue,
We can learn more from Bangladesh... According to recent legislation there, No religious party/group is allowed to contest election or to do any political activity. So called religious parties just play with religious sentiments of the countrymen.
@Uza Syed: I fully support Uza. Doing things discreetly further strengthens such outfits that are involved in suspicious or undesirable activities. There deeds must be made public. Its more applicable for organizations that portray a "very positive religious" image and then politically and financially cash on that. Whatever there role is in supporting anti-social or anti-state activities, it must be made public. Why should state be afraid to confront them?
An Organization in itself is nothing, the people running it make an organization what it is. Arrest the members and leaders of such sectarian organizations if you are serious
What does this mean in real terms ?? Answer : Nothing much, this is a cosmetic move.
No to sectarian politics, Good move
All religion based political parties must be banned as street power. There is no other way around. Banning one group does not solve the problem they mutate like a virus and come back with a new name and more notoriety.
Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.All religious parties/groups in Pakistan must have to be monitored and controlled by the government of Pakistan and ISI in Pakistan like Saudi Arabia and UAE so that wrongful,misleading and negative concepts about Islam could never be spread out and raised in Pakistan.
What is the use of banning a political or religious party when after the ban is imposed it re-emerge in the country with a new name with the same old faces.
A new a name will be announced for the organization; the ban will not work indeed! We need a balanced society where everyone is free to adhere with his/her religion, creed, sect and whatever he/she wishes. That will be very right path which will lead us to the heights otherwise we'll remain what we are. God bless us - innocent and extremist nation....
Such Groups exist in pakistan are all terrorist groups, They should be banned in the entire country.
Our problem is that we do not read the history. An impartial and objective study of Islam and creation of Pakistan will some shocking facts for us.Trace back the history and you would know that ASWJ is direct descendant of a pro Congress party which had opposed the creation of Pakistan.
Banning an organization is not going to work as the people are still there. You haven't banned them. So, they will turn around and start a new one or join someone else.
Pakistan, as a country, needs a brand new thinking, and the comments made by the readers here on the 17-year old's conversion tell me that it has a long long way to go. Sorry, but that is how I see it.
what is this new group now? JUD, TUD, Defa, fefa, SWJ, OJ etc etc. One day the whole of Pakistan will have small groups and they will be armed and you can imagine what would happen then? There is no need to impose sanctions. The groups will take care of each other! Ha Ha!
Way to go. No such organisations involved in faith-based killings, those too under the label of a sect, should be given a free hand. Hopefully, similar, if not harsher, action would be taken against the Khilafat-seeking militants of Difa-e-Pakistan Council.
'The group respected the law' What a joke! if the law is to slaughter shias and ahmedis and other religious! then FOR SURE YOU RESPECT THE LAW!
This is not good. Baning such small poiitical org increase terrorism. This was musharaf policy when he banned sipah e sahaba the out come was strenghten of lashker e jangvi. Where they go when they have no political rights? Defently to terrorism. Our govt acts are shamfull and kidding.
It is a good start if true.
Well, I'd have liked them to be rejected by the people of Pakistan in the General Elections. In case, the Government really have solid and concrete proof against them then I want them to be tried in an open court and let the court convict every single functionary of this so called political party or terrorist gang.
How come the International media gets info first & Local media last?
It's obvious that being put on Pakistan's "banned list" has little (if any) impact on an organization --- no wonder the people who were banned haven't even heard about it.