Deobandi parties pressurize Sindh govt for no action against seminaries

As part of the new anti-terrorism policy, the law enforcement agencies have started scrutinizing madrassas (seminaries) in Sindh, sealed hundreds of them and arrested many teachers and students. In response, Deobandi parties have threatened to launch a movement against the provincial government despite the fact that only unregistered seminaries have been sealed so far.

“The law enforcement agencies have been inspecting religious seminaries’ connections with banned terrorist/militant groups and their sources of funding, especially from abroad, and sealed many of them,” a home department official said.
“They have also been examining the assets of seminaries and the foreign students and teachers there, especially those from Afghanistan,” he added.

“Besides, the affiliation of teachers and students with religious parties and (Wahhabis-allied Deobandi) jihadist groups and their activities are also being monitored.”

Although it is not aimed at any specific seminary, Deobandis allied with Wahhabi-Salafi militants foresee curtailing their influence and fear that their connection with ongoing terrorism across Pakistan would come to light.

Like their past tradition, Deobandis used their JUI and their seminaries relations with Shia Muslims and Sunni Bralevis to exert pressure on the government for inaction against their fanatic seminaries. It is fact that Sunni Bralevis and Shia Muslims seminaries are not involved in terrorism and all those who perpetrated terrorist attacks belonged to Deobandi seminaries because of old ties of Deobandis with fanatic and terrorist outfits such as ASWJ/Sipah-a-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Taliban, al-Qaida, Jund-ush-Shaitan, etc.

Unfortunately, Shia Ulema Council and Sunni Bralevis party also attended a Deobandis-sponsored meeting on March 9 that threatened to launch a movement to stop the sealing of seminaries and the harassing of clerics under the Loudspeaker Act and other laws JUIF’s Usman threatened to launch anti-government movement from March 18 and could also besiege the Chief Minister’s House.

Civil society’s concerns

Security analysts and civil society organisations are unsatisfied with the government’s action.

Asad Iqbal Butt, the provincial vice-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said it was the prime responsibility of the government to curtail the mushroom growth of seminaries in the province, especially in Karachi.

“The government is unable to stand up to the pressure exerted by the religious parties and that is why it has not taken bold measures to bring seminaries under its control,” he added.

Tariq Pervez, the former chairman of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority, believes that the government should adopt a two-dimensional policy for tackling the issue of the ties between seminaries and militancy to remove the misconceptions among the public.