Pakistan bans three extremist outfits, on orders from China

Insurgent groups originally hail from outside Pakistan.


Web Desk October 23, 2013
East Turkemanistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) are now banned in Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government on Wednesday decided to ban three international extremist organisations allegedly involved in insurgent activities in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, BBC Urdu reported.

The website quoted sources in the Ministry of Interior Affairs as saying that Chinese authorities and security agencies believed the three organisations were involved in extremist and insurgent activities in the Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang.

The outfits banned include the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and Islamic Jihad Union (IJU).

The said bodies have been the subject of much concern in discussions between the Chinese and Pakistani civilian and military authorities.

Ministry sources were also quoted as saying that Pakistan had been in contact with the Turkish and Uzbek governments over ETIM and IMU, and had learned that over half of the people constituting these bodies were individuals highly wanted by local authorities.

The outfits include 10 females who reportedly trained other women for suicide-bombing.

Pakistan is reported to have caught and arrested various members of these groups in operations against militants in North Waziristan and other tribal areas.

The government has enhanced security of Chinese diplomats in the country against possible attacks by these militants.

At least 50-60 organisations already exist on Pakistan's list of banned outfits.

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly listed East Turkemanistan Islamic Movement as one of the banned organisations. The error is regretted.

COMMENTS (83)

Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan | 10 years ago | Reply

ET, why do you keep deleting my responses and allowing anti-Islam, anti-Pakistan comments to go through?

@Bruteforce: Pakistanis are the sons of the soil, regardless of what your extremist Hindu propaganda as fed you. We have every legitimate right to live in this land, and govern ourselves according to our God-given right. The fact that we are Muslim does not mitigate our historic right to the lands which we inhabit as descendants of and successors to the 7,000 year old Indus River Valley Civilization (Harrapa, Mohenjo-daro, Taxila). We don't need your permission. We have no relation to India and the Ganges river.

BruteForce | 10 years ago | Reply

@Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan:

I'll keep it simple.

A disputed area has 2 options.

1) The right of the present settlers: If so Israel can have it land. China can get away with pushing people in. India after pushing in people can claim this, like the Mughals who came to India and increased their numbers and their descendants claimed for Pakistan.

2) The right of the people who have historically lived in the land. That means entire Pakistan and all disputed areas of the Subcontinent belong to India. That means Chinese can have their land, Palestine can have theirs and Hindus can have theirs(including Pakistan).

Which option do you rather prefer?

You talk about Amarnath yatra, so you agree that Historically its been a Hindu land. Since, the Hindus are in minority, like Muslims in Israel-Palestine conflict, other Hindus should be obliged to support them, like you support Palestine. Isn't it?

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