‘Discreet’ ban: Religious right reject reports of ASWJ ban
Chief says none of their offices sealed yet.
LAHORE:
Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) has hit back at reports of a government ban saying it was slapped at the behest of the United States.
“Attempts at banning ASWJ are on the directives of the US,” Chairperson Maulana Ahmad Ali Ludhianvi told The Express Tribune on Saturday.
The government has not sealed any of ASWJ offices, thus far, Ludhianvi said.
“We have learnt about the ban in a BBC report. We haven’t received any official intimation,” he added.
Earlier, the BBC Urdu reported that the government has discreetly banned the ASWJ, citing 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, in the notification.
Meanwhile, a local paper added that the recently issued notification also includes the names Shia Talba Tanzeem, People’s Amn Committee and Tanzeem Naujawanan-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat Gilgit.
ASWJ ‘school of thought’
“In the last few months, we have been peacefully rallying support for the country’s defence with Difa-e-Pakistan (DPC) rallies. Which of our activity warrants a ban,” asked Ludhianvi.
“Ahl-e-Sunnat is a school of thought and not an organisation, so we consider this as a ban on the followers of Ahle-e-Sunnat,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Information Secretary Anwar Niazi said that his party would condemn any attempt to ban ASWJ. JI is also a component party of DPC.
“Each time a ban is slapped on a religious organisation, it is either on the instructions of the United States or given by pro-US elements in the government,” Niazi told The Express Tribune. “ASWJ are all patriotic Pakistanis,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2012.
Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) has hit back at reports of a government ban saying it was slapped at the behest of the United States.
“Attempts at banning ASWJ are on the directives of the US,” Chairperson Maulana Ahmad Ali Ludhianvi told The Express Tribune on Saturday.
The government has not sealed any of ASWJ offices, thus far, Ludhianvi said.
“We have learnt about the ban in a BBC report. We haven’t received any official intimation,” he added.
Earlier, the BBC Urdu reported that the government has discreetly banned the ASWJ, citing 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, in the notification.
Meanwhile, a local paper added that the recently issued notification also includes the names Shia Talba Tanzeem, People’s Amn Committee and Tanzeem Naujawanan-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat Gilgit.
ASWJ ‘school of thought’
“In the last few months, we have been peacefully rallying support for the country’s defence with Difa-e-Pakistan (DPC) rallies. Which of our activity warrants a ban,” asked Ludhianvi.
“Ahl-e-Sunnat is a school of thought and not an organisation, so we consider this as a ban on the followers of Ahle-e-Sunnat,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Information Secretary Anwar Niazi said that his party would condemn any attempt to ban ASWJ. JI is also a component party of DPC.
“Each time a ban is slapped on a religious organisation, it is either on the instructions of the United States or given by pro-US elements in the government,” Niazi told The Express Tribune. “ASWJ are all patriotic Pakistanis,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2012.