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Banned outfits operating under different names undermine state's credibility: Babar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar said today that permitting proscribed outfits operating in the country under different names undermines the state’s credibility in the fight against terrorism and militancy.
“Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) was a reincarnation of Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT), and they were allowed to function due to a court order that was given,” said Babar while answering a query in the senate.
“The government has not yet provided me a copy of the court order that allowed JuD to operate, despite the passage of one month and an order by the chairman of the senate,” added Babar.
“This issue has again come to the forefront due to the recent comments made by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in which he alleged that Pakistan has allowed some select groups to operate freely in the country,” said Babar.
Read: No evidence about JuD’s links with LeT: minister
“This has raised serious questions and misgivings about our intent and designs,” stated the senator.
The senator added further that questions were bound to arise when proscribed organisations are run under the guise of charity organisations.
“Are these so called charities allowed to function and serve as pressure groups which try to influence the elected government and the parliament, or are they meant to advance certain security and foreign policy goals as non-state actors,” questioned Babar.
Babar also said that given the impunity that is enjoyed by some of these groups, gives rise to the suspicion that they are protected by certain powerful forces.
Under Section 11-B, an organisation is proscribed if the federal government has reasons to believe that it is linked to terrorism. Under the law, the government can place an organisation under observation for six months if it is suspected of being involved in terrorist activities. The period can be extended only after providing the organisation an opportunity of being heard.
Earlier in July, the government had ruled out the possibility of proscribing Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) in the near future and said there was no evidence of the charity organisation having been formed in place of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Comments (20) Closed
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar has hit nail on the head
How can PML N stop these proscribed organizations, after all they are their assets and part of their voting bank!
valid questions senator, no information about foreign funding of these organizations, do ask this as well as every Pakistan has a right to the information. Disguising as charity organizations may serve them two purposes, earn them good name and most importantly can collect donations. Hope COAS will be successful in curbing the financers of all terrorist outfits.
These org actually harm Pak interests and cause of tension between Pak and Afg/India. Lets be honest and stop supporting these orgs at every level. Good job Senator. Also identify who is supporting these orgs so public know India and Afghan are right in these genuine complaints. If we address issues like this we won't spend millions in Balochistan
This is what I was saying all along.... Finally a good debate started.
I am sure India afghan and Pakistan will prosper together if these culprits are banned....
Bravo. Mr babar recognizes root cause and envisage road to peace.
There are lot of so-called banned outfits who are operating with different names freely and one of them is SSP which is now operating with the name and style of ASWJ
They are the biggest embarassment to Pakistan. Do not allow them to operate.
This Government has capability and should not waste time in separating politics from the religion. Without that, we cannot win war against terror.
Good job Mr.Babar...You are very patriotic with no selfish motive....You have spoken a truth which many others are scared to say... Let us root out terrorism and prosper....
I wish Mr Babar does not get exposed to any threat. JuD attacked innocents. We all know.
We have recently witnessed JuD's tiny demos in support of Saudi attacks on Yemeni muslims. What kind of group JuD is, is no secret.
Late is better than never
There are times when even the discredited speak the truth....well said Sir.
@Yummy If a Terrorist can be the prime minister of India, why can't Hafiz Saeed continue his Charity work.
What about lal masjid kateeb?
No religious parties should be allowed to part in the politics. If they want to enter politics, they should not be allowed to keep their party names connected to religion.
@xenia nobody is stopping u to elect this man as ur PM. Good luck for ur future.
@Kashmiri .... The root cause is parents who have raised their sons to be murders. This is a social problem.