ISLAMABAD: There are rocky times ahead for leaders and activists of the proscribed Hizbut Tahrir (HuT) and the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), as well as anyone who has ever been arrested in connection with terrorism charges, as the capital city’s police department has initiated action against such individuals, senior police officials told Dawn on Thursday.

Earlier, a similar crackdown was launched aginst those affiliated with the Ghazi Force and Lal Masjid, as well as anyone whose name is included in the 4th Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act’s, they said.

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Police have already started surveillance and reconnaissance of those suspected to be former or current members of the Ghazi Force, those affiliated with Lal Masjid or those arrested during Operation Silence. Each individual’s current whereabouts and their activities are being closely watching, sources said.

Officials said that over 500 suspects were arrested by the army and intelligence agencies during Operation Silence in 2007, but they were acquitted by the courts. Following their release, police and intelligence agencies claimed that they had regrouped and established the Ghazi Force, which was tasked with avenging the operation.

There are 27 people, including religious clerics, who are on the 4th Schedule watch list, officials said, adding that a proposal to add 27 more names to the list had already been sent to the concerned quarters.

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The officials said that the list was prepared in light of police records and contains the names of suspects, along with their affiliations and details of their criminal records.

Over 150 people had been taken into custody by Islamabad police over their alleged involvement in terrorism-related cases between 2007 and 2014.

While the HuT was not actively involved in any kind of terrorist activity in the country, police officials said they were instigating ordinary people, officers and armed forces personnel to revolt and set up a caliphate. Dozens of cases had been registered by capital police regarding the HuT’s activities and a number of their activists had also been arrested, they added.

However, there were no cases registered in the capital against activists or leaders of the JuD.

The list prepared for the capital has been distributed to each police station and includes the names of every suspected terrorist who has ever lived in the capital or has a permanent or temporary address from Islamabad on their CNICs, officials said.

Station house officers have been asked to keep track of these people and those who are originally from other parts of the country would be tracked down with the help of the law enforcement agencies in their native towns, police officials said.

Officials said that when they started the exercise, a majority of the people they were looking for went into hiding and could not be found at their given addresses in the city.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2015

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