ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistani Taliban will coordinate with Islamist activists at major
seminaries in or near the capital, Islamabad, to launch attacks if the
peace talks with the government fail, police said in a report obtained
by Reuters.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took power last year promising to end the insurgency through negotiations. Talks got going in February but have achieved little.The Pakistani Taliban, allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban, are fighting to overthrow the government and impose a strict version of Islam on the 180 million people.
They called a ceasefire beginning on March 1 to facilitate the talks but it officially ended on Thursday. It is unclear if the ceasefire will be extended.
Police said in the report that two well-known seminaries would support the attacks in the capital and its twin city of Rawalpindi if the talks break down and the military moves against the Taliban bases in areas bordering Afghanistan.
“If talks between the government and the Taliban fail ...like-minded religious seminaries and mosques have been given the target of fully contributing in carrying out attacks,” police said in the report, which was prepared last month.
Police identified two well-known seminaries, or madrasas, on the outskirts of Islamabad. They said the two had already helped launch several attacks, including a 2009 assault on the army´s headquarters in Rawalpindi. One provides “brainwashing courses and lessons on sacrificing oneself for Jihad,” police said in the report.
In the other seminary, commanders provide “Jihadi weapons training classes” to students from the ethnic Pashtun tribal areas which have long been militant recruiting grounds, police said. The two seminaries also host fighters who come to carry out attacks and help with “all last minute preparations”, they said.
Militant fighters have set themselves up with activists at hardline mosques in Islamabad before.Police and government spokesmen declined to comment on the report but security officials who requested not to be identified said the information was correct. One police officer said 20 seminaries in Rawalpindi were being investigated for similar Taliban links.
Head of one seminary denied any connection with the Taliban and said his seminary was being threatened by insurgents for being pro-government.“We openly believe that any attacks against Pakistan are wrong and against Islam,” he told Reuters. “Ask the police to show me one arrested person who is linked to my seminary.”
The head of the other seminary identified in the report was not available for comment.The Pakistani Taliban spokesman was also not available to comment but a member of the Taliban leadership council said fighters were present in all major cities and would be “unstoppable” if the talks with the government broke down.
“If the government attacks us in the tribal areas, we will kill them in the cities,” he said. “By the grace of Allah, the Taliban today are more united and present everywhere.”A bomb in a market on the outskirts of Islamabad on Wednesday killed 24 people. The Taliban denied responsibility.
Muneebur Rehman, the chairman of an alliance of seminaries (religious madaris), dismissed the findings of the police report and asked, if it were true, why had the authorities not done anything?“If this report carries evidence of seminaries collaborating with Taliban for attacks, the government must go ahead and take action,” Rehman said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took power last year promising to end the insurgency through negotiations. Talks got going in February but have achieved little.The Pakistani Taliban, allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban, are fighting to overthrow the government and impose a strict version of Islam on the 180 million people.
They called a ceasefire beginning on March 1 to facilitate the talks but it officially ended on Thursday. It is unclear if the ceasefire will be extended.
Police said in the report that two well-known seminaries would support the attacks in the capital and its twin city of Rawalpindi if the talks break down and the military moves against the Taliban bases in areas bordering Afghanistan.
“If talks between the government and the Taliban fail ...like-minded religious seminaries and mosques have been given the target of fully contributing in carrying out attacks,” police said in the report, which was prepared last month.
Police identified two well-known seminaries, or madrasas, on the outskirts of Islamabad. They said the two had already helped launch several attacks, including a 2009 assault on the army´s headquarters in Rawalpindi. One provides “brainwashing courses and lessons on sacrificing oneself for Jihad,” police said in the report.
In the other seminary, commanders provide “Jihadi weapons training classes” to students from the ethnic Pashtun tribal areas which have long been militant recruiting grounds, police said. The two seminaries also host fighters who come to carry out attacks and help with “all last minute preparations”, they said.
Militant fighters have set themselves up with activists at hardline mosques in Islamabad before.Police and government spokesmen declined to comment on the report but security officials who requested not to be identified said the information was correct. One police officer said 20 seminaries in Rawalpindi were being investigated for similar Taliban links.
Head of one seminary denied any connection with the Taliban and said his seminary was being threatened by insurgents for being pro-government.“We openly believe that any attacks against Pakistan are wrong and against Islam,” he told Reuters. “Ask the police to show me one arrested person who is linked to my seminary.”
The head of the other seminary identified in the report was not available for comment.The Pakistani Taliban spokesman was also not available to comment but a member of the Taliban leadership council said fighters were present in all major cities and would be “unstoppable” if the talks with the government broke down.
“If the government attacks us in the tribal areas, we will kill them in the cities,” he said. “By the grace of Allah, the Taliban today are more united and present everywhere.”A bomb in a market on the outskirts of Islamabad on Wednesday killed 24 people. The Taliban denied responsibility.
Muneebur Rehman, the chairman of an alliance of seminaries (religious madaris), dismissed the findings of the police report and asked, if it were true, why had the authorities not done anything?“If this report carries evidence of seminaries collaborating with Taliban for attacks, the government must go ahead and take action,” Rehman said.
No comments:
Post a Comment