160 schools, 150 dispensaries in 73 cities, 800,000 hep patients affected by JuD ban

[Awesome]

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan cleric denounces UN move

Pakistan cleric denounces UN move

Pakistani cleric Hafiz Mohammad Saeed has denounced a UN decision to put him on a terror blacklist as leader of a militant front group.

Mr Saeed described the decision as an attack on Islam and an injustice.
He criticised the UN for making its decision without giving him a chance to defend himself or his organisation.

Mr Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa group is seen by India to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. He says it provides medical aid in 73 Pakistani cities.

Lashkar-e-Taiba has been been blamed by Delhi for carrying out last month's attacks in Mumbai (Bombay) which killed nearly 200 people.
'Hatred of Islam'

The cleric told the BBC's Barbara Plett that the Pakistani government had not contacted him since the UN announcement.

"It's an international law that if you want to say anything against someone, you have to listen to him," he said.

Any sanctions against us will hurt the general public
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed

Terror base or school?

"But they haven't given us any evidence. They haven't contacted us, they have just banned us on their own.

"It's only hatred of Islam, this decision is only on the basis of propaganda... the international law of justice says that you cannot give any decision unless you have heard from the other party."

He said that if the Pakistani government tried to to ban his charity, he would pursue the matter through Pakistan's courts, which had previously declared his organisation legal.

Mr Saeed said that he had broken past links with the militant Lashkar-e-Taiba group - which he said was based in Kashmir, whereas his organisation was based in Pakistan.

He said that moves to curtail the activities of his organisation would be highly damaging.

"We operate 160 schools in which thousands of students are studying, we operate ambulances in 73 Pakistani cities, we've got eight big hospitals, we're running 156 dispensaries and provided 800,000 hepatitis vaccinations.
"Any sanctions against us will hurt the general public."

Mr Saeed also vigorously denied allegations that he had connections to the Mumbai attackers.

According to Indian police, the captured gunman said that he heard the cleric give a motivational speech at a Lashkar-e-Taiba training camp in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

Mr Saeed said he only made religious speeches in Pakistan, adding that he had millions of supporters across the country and they would not follow a terrorist.

 

[Awesome]

My brother forgot to mention thats coz of this ban many innocent life will be sfae rather than gettin killed in the name of jihad.

somehow i still believe that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed will be free again and will form a new group of jihadis to kill innocent people.


globaljihad.net/view_page.asp?id=1252



Hafiz Muhammad Saeed


Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was born in the mid 50s’ in the Punjab region of Pakistan. He is a professor in Islamic Studies department of Engineering in Lahore University. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is married to the daughter of his maternal uncle, Hafiz Mohammad Abdullah Bahawalpuri, a well-known religious leader in Punjab.



Thirty-six members of his family were murdered during Partition between India and Pakistan in 1947(A typical bollywood hero who takes revenge). His father, Kamaluddin, an ordinary landlord, finally chose a village in the Mianwali district of Pujab. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s first job in Pakistan, in the 70s’, was as a research officer for the Islamic Ideological Council.



In the early 80s’ Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was sent by his University to Saudi Arabia for higher studies. There Hafiz Muhammad Saeed met some Saudi Sheikhs who were taking part in the war in Afghanistan against the Russians and was influenced by them.



In 1987 Hafiz Muhammad Saeed along with some Salafi collogues founded in Lahore, Pakistan the Jumaat-ud-Dawa association (known as JUD) and its center – the Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad (the Center for Repentance and Propagation) that has drawn great financial support from Saudi Arabia. Eventually Jumaat-ud-Dawa became the breeding ground and the main source for volunteers and recruits for Lashkar-e-Toiba, one of the most radical Islamic groups, which operated against India over the Kashmir crisis in the next years.



Hafiz Muhammad Saeed himself headed the Lashkar-e-Toiba after the organization was founded in 1990, with the full backup of the notorious Pakistani Intelligence ISI.



According to Indian Intelligence sources Hafiz Muhammad Saeed masterminded and headed the INDIAN Parliament attack on 12/13/2001.



After The 9/11, under heavy USA pressure, that designated in 12/2001 Lashkar-e-Toiba as a terror organization, the group was banned in 01/2002 by the Pakistani government and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was arrested. Ever since 2002 the Pakistan government categorically denies providing any support to Lashkar-e-Toiba. But the Jumaat-ud-Dawa (JUD) remained legal.



On 11/18/2002 Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was released from jail by the Lahore High Court order.


Today (12/2008) Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is living At Muridke, 45 km from Lahore, in Pakistan and still runs, with his son, the Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad. His involvement in terror in the recent years, since his release from jail, is unclear.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was on the list of 20 most wanted, which India asked from Pakistan to hand over, on 12/02/2008, after the Mumbai Carnage.

That is propaganda, this is verifiable fact:

Relief Activities View All
6,000 benefit daily from 156 Jama’t-ud-Da’wah dispensaries
11-Dec-2008 , 12th Dhul Hijjah, 1429
Huge meat distribution drive continues for second straight day
10-Dec-2008 , 11th Dhul Hijjah, 1429
Sacrificial meat distribution in full swing
09-Dec-2008 , 10th Dhul Hijjah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah extends meat distribution to Kashmiri refugee camps
09-Dec-2008 , 10th Dhul Hijjah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah gears up for distribution of sacrificial meat
07-Dec-2008 , 8th Dhul Hijjah, 1429
Balochistan quake relief update
28-Nov-2008 , 29th Zul Qadah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah sets goal of 1,000 shelters for quake survivors
18-Nov-2008 , 19th Zul Qadah, 1429
Kashmiri quake survivors send aid for Baloch quake affected brothers
14-Nov-2008 , 15th Zul Qadah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah Karachi dispatches quake aid worth Rs. 2 million
07-Nov-2008 , 8th Zul Qadah, 1429
Quake survivors facing acute shortage of food and medicines
04-Nov-2008 , 5th Zul Qadah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah increases food distribution among quake survivors
03-Nov-2008 , 4th Zul Qadah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah initiates construction of shelters for quake survivors
02-Nov-2008 , 3rd Zul Qadah, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah arranges meals for 3000 quake survivors
01-Nov-2008 , 2nd Zul Qada, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah to further enhance relief activities in Balochistan
31-Oct-2008 , 1st Zul Qadah, 1429
Aid rushed to quake zone; 20,000 homeless
30-Oct-2008 , 30th Shawwal, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah undertakes large scale relief effort in Balochistan
30-Oct-2008 , 30th Shawwal, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah mobilizes workers & volunteers for Balochistan quake relief
29-Oct-2008 , 29th Shawwal, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah organizes free medical camp in jail
20-Oct-2008 , 20th Shawwal, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah releases performance report on quake anniversary
09-Oct-2008 , 9th Shawwal, 1429
Jama’t-ud-Da’wah dispatches food aid for Swat affected
23-Sep-2008 , 22nd Ramadan, 1429

This is just a snapshot of what Jamaat has claimed to have done in its efforts.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I think too many people are missing the argument here, and the argument doesn't just relate to people wanted by India, but has much larger implications in terms of winning the ideological WoT.

To start off, from the Pakistani perspective, one needs to observe how Pakistanis, from all walks of life, reacted to Musharaf's somewhat Bushian policies of fighting terror. There were secret arrests, unlimited detentions, torture etc., and as the media covered this more and more, there was a groundswell of opinion against Musharraf and his policies.

Those policies eventually came to represent so much of what was wrong with Musharraf. His illegal polices in fighting the WoT were symptomatic of his illegal position as President of Pakistan, and gone was any rational analysis of his goals (fighting terror) and all people saw was that he was denying people due process and circumventing the law.

I think more than anything, Pakistanis currently want rule of law. They want institutions, systems and processes that they can bank on. They don't want to deal with shadows and anarchy. To not put Hafeez and his organization through the legal process, whether in the ICJ or in Pakistani courts, is to play into those fears, and it will be a discredited process.

We need to remember that this war is not just about locking people up or shooting them dead in encounters, it is primarily about alienating the people who can distort causes to murder innocents from the larger populace, and we cannot win that ideological war without conducting the actual war within the law.

 

[jeypore]

Mr Saeed said that he had broken past links with the militant Lashkar-e-Taiba group - which he said was based in Kashmir, whereas his organisation was based in Pakistan.

Past Links!! Maybe that is one of the main reason.

 

[Awesome]

Past Links!! Maybe that is one of the main reason.

Yeah but you can't charge him for it. The organization wasn't banned then. When he was asked to quit, he quited. That is his argument and if he can prove it, it will be an embarrassing day for India and probably cause for resignation of the Pakistani leadership who bent over without giving him a fair trial.

 

[Awesome]

i dont understand why they dont paste the links ?

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan




The jihad lives on
By Amir Mir

KARACHI - Contrary to the much-touted claims of the government of President General Pervez Musharraf having taken concrete measures to uproot the extremist jihadi mafia and its terror network in Pakistan, a cursory glance over the activities of four "banned" militant organizations in the country shows they are once again back in business, with changed names and identities, operating freely and advocating jihad against infidels to defend Islam.

While banning six leading jihadi and sectarian groups in two phases - on January 12, 2002, and November 15, 2003 - Musharraf had declared that no organization or person would be allowed to indulge in terrorism to further its cause. However, after the initial crackdown, the four major jihadi outfits operating from Pakistan - Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), resurfaced and regrouped effectively to run their respective networks as openly as before, though under different names.

Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, Maulana Masood Azhar, Maulana Fazalur Rehman Khalil and Syed Salahuddin - the respective leaders of these organizations - are again on the loose. The pattern of treatment being meted out to these leading lights of jihad by the Musharraf-led administration shows that they are being kept on the leash, ostensibly to wage a controlled jihad in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).

After the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, the four jihadi leaders were placed under house arrest in their respective home towns in Punjab, since they were becoming increasingly vocal in their condemnation of Musharraf's policy of "slavery to the Americans". A countrywide crackdown also had to be launched against activists of the jihadi groups who were furious over Musharraf's u-turn on the Afghan jihad. Groaning under US pressure, Islamabad also had to temporarily stop cross-border infiltration into J&K, which eventually reduced violence levels in the Valley. Though most of the jihadi groups accepted the establishment's advice and adopted a "lie low and wait and see" policy, the fact remains that no concrete step was taken by the authorities to dismantle the jihadi infrastructure. This was chiefly due to the fact that the unholy alliance between the state agencies and the jihadi groups was quite old and had an ideological basis.

The failure of the Musharraf regime to counter extremist jihadis is, however, inexplicable within the current environment, as Islamabad has handed over more than 500 al-Qaeda operatives to the administration of US President George W Bush since the "war on terror" began. As the political will to dismantle the Islamist extremist groups that are not on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) "most wanted" list seems to be absent, almost all the major jihadi groups based in Pakistan continue to operate and pursue their agenda without any restrictions.

Musharraf, by his own admission, no longer controls the jihadis that the state had long supported, and the self-proclaimed holy warriors are far from ready to call it quits. On the other hand, the Pakistani establishment continues to maintain its long alliance with fundamentalist parties, which share a common goal with the jihadis: the liberation of "Occupied Jammu & Kashmir" through jihad.

Had the six-party religious alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) not sided with Musharraf to pass the 17th constitutional amendment last year, the latter would have been left with no option but to quit the post of army chief by December 31, 2004. But then the military, the mullahs and the jihadis share a common belief in Pakistan's rightful claim over J&K. Consequently, Pakistan, the most trusted US ally in its "war against terror", confronts a surging wave of Islamist fundamentalism.

The growing influence of the fundamentalists in the country can be gauged by the fact that the MMA at present controls 20% of the seats in the Pakistani parliament. This means that the religious right, which had been a vocal supporter of the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan, has successfully moved from the periphery to the center stage of national politics. As a result, support for the militant cause has also grown within sections of Pakistani society where it never existed before.

I think in the history of Asia times there's not been one Op-Ed that has been posted in favor of Pak. Moreover, his research seems to be flawed since the Hizb-M is not banned and moreover it has no camps in Azad Kashmir but in J&K.

 

[daredevil]

I think in the history of Asia times there's not been one Op-Ed that has been posted in favor of Pak. Moreover, his research seems to be flawed since the Hizb-M is not banned and moreover it has no camps in Azad Kashmir but in J&K.

You can take shelter in J&K but definitely cannot run camps with so much army presence. Hizb-M presence is in Pak-administered kashmir, its head quarters isin Muzaffarabad.

 

[Awesome]

You can take shelter in J&K but definitely cannot run camps with so much army presence. Hizb-M presence is in Pak-administered kashmir, its head quarters isin Muzaffarabad.

Well shelter is all they need. They are a very indigenous group. Filled with Kashmirs so much so that a couple of years ago the IA killed one of their local unit commanders and he turned out to be a Hindu!

 

[AliFarooq]

Just because of a few people, even if they were after the attacks,the organizations shouldnt be banned, they care for many needy people. For all the indian folks on the fourms, plz tell me one thing all Kishmiris that are being abused, should then india not have a military or a police force??, cuz instead of protecting them, they are killing them and dnt deny the fact tht kashmirirs arnt being abused by the indian army and the police.

 

[haviZsultan]

Jamaat Ud dawa is NOT a terrorist organization but a charitable organization. I have worked in TCF and for Yaseen foundation and Presidents Earthquake relief and I can tell this is pure propaganda because I have seen their workers working and they work much harder than any of us. In karachi they give food to mareez in civil hopital who cant afford. I saw this when I worked for a health organization named uloom something...

In Ziarat Jamat ud dawa was the first to act and give relief to the people affected by the earthquake. They started when even the army had not started to respond. Infact I remember back in Muzaffarabad there were international aid workers and I was really goin after a russian girl... None of Jamat ud dawas workers either stopped me or tried to harm any foreigner nor did they do anything to the foreign aid workers. Infact they tried to coordinate with the American and Turkish teams to help them make sure they got the supplies to the right place and not to the places where jamat ud dawa had already sent aid to!

India's bullshit claims cannot in anyway be trusted. LET only operates in Kashmir. This is becoming a joke now. Deccan muhajideen claimed responsibility. If it is not them it is hindu fanatics becayse then why does india have to make up this story that LET supported by ISI was responsible. If BJP members India is not hiding anything about the mumbai attacks then this bullshit is not really making sense at all. Karkare died because he knew what exactly was going on in India.

We must stand united against Indian aggression and simply tell them to mind their own business. JuD is in no way a terrorist organization and I would say someone is mad to suggest it. I have seen them work. Yes the members are religious with beards and pray namaz and whatever else normal muslims do but thats all thats required to say they are terrorists? What absolute bullshit man.

I have seen these people work and they are not terrorists.

 

[haviZsultan]

Peaceful school or 'terror' base?

The BBC visits a charity in Pakistan accused of being a front for the suspected Mumbai attackers

By Syed Shoaib Hasan
BBC News, Muridke, Pakistan

"As you can see for yourselves, this is not a training facility for terrorists," says Abdullah Muntazir.

Mr Muntazir is a spokesman for the Jamaat-ud-Dawa organisation, an Islamic charity.

The organisation has been labelled a political front for the militant organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure).

The Lashkar has been fighting the Indian armed forces in the disputed territory of Kashmir since 1990 and has been accused of hitting numerous Indian targets outside Kashmir - including last week's attacks in Mumbai in which 188 people died.

It has strongly denied being responsible for the Mumbai violence and most other incidents outside of Indian-administered Kashmir for which it has been accused.

Military strikes

But the Lashkar is nevertheless on the list of banned terrorist groups compiled by the US state department.

Mr Muntazir was speaking to the media at the Markaz-e-Taiba (Centre of the Pure) compound set up by Jamaat-ud-Dawa in Pakistan's Punjab province.


Abdullah Muntazir

We have nothing to hide here
Abdullah Muntazir

Lashkar-e-Taiba profile

The compound is commonly referred to as the main headquarters of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

It has also been described by Indian - and sometimes Pakistani - media as a training facility for Lashkar militants.

This perception has hardened since the attacks in Mumbai, with some Indian commentators talking about launching military strikes on the compound.

Although the BBC saw no militant activity in the camp, Lashkar is known to operate militant camps in areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

To try to dispel perceptions, Jamaat-ud-Dawa hosted an open house for local and foreign journalists, including the BBC, on Thursday.

The centre is located outside the town of Muridke, about 40km (25 miles) from the eastern city of Lahore in central Punjab.

A small dusty lane leads off the main Grand Trunk Road through a small settlement of farmers and labourers to the gates of the compound.

Basic curriculum

Inside its 75-acre grounds are educational and residential facilities.

There is a secondary school for girls, a high school for boys and two madrassas, or religious schools, one each for girls and boys and hostels for the students.

Markaz-e-Tayyaba (centre of the Pure) compound
The compound has been labelled as a training facility for militants

We were taken on a tour of the entire complex by Mr Muntazir and his team.

"We have classes here until Intermediate (Pakistan equivalent of high school/'A' Levels)," says Rashid Minhas, principal of science.

"The subjects include English and the sciences. We have fully furnished labs here as well as facilities that you would find in any good school in Pakistan.

"The basic curriculum is the same as that taught all over Pakistan, with an added focus on Islam."

According to Mr Minhas, there are 530 boys and 345 girls in the school.

School is in session as we pass through the classrooms.

In the physics lab, a group of students are putting together a circuit which transfers electricity to a light bulb.

As the bulb flashes red, the students exchange smiles of accomplishment. The same scene could be replicated across countless other schools in Pakistan.

School setting

One student, Zohaib Naveed, says he is in class eight and comes from a nearby town.

He hopes to be an engineer when he grows up.

Pakistan earthquake survivors eat food distributed by Jamaat-ud-Dawa activists in November 2008
Jamaat-ud-Dawa operates various social relief operations

When asked by one of the journalists who his leader is, he says simply "Quaid-e-Azam". He is referring to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.

In an adjoining class, students are conducting an experiment, using hydrochloric acid to produce a gas.

They smile and shyly pose for the camera, just like any other normal children in a school setting.

The difference is, because of the allegations levelled against Jamaat-ud-Dawa, their activities could well be deemed as "militant training".

But if that really is the case, the atmosphere in the school and the entire complex is remarkably open and easy.

Nearby is a newly-constructed 60-bed hospital which treats dozens of people daily.

The centre of the compound is dominated by a huge mosque, surrounded by the educational facilities, the residential complex and a small shopping centre

Men and women move about freely and there is no evidence of any militants or training facilities.

At the barrier at the main gate of the complex the guards were carrying no arms.

The entire complex, in fact, closely represents a university campus.

It appears to be nowhere near the armed training camp described in many - possibly speculative - stories in the international media.

"We have nothing to hide here," says Abdullah Muntazir.

"You can see with your own eyes that the focus is on education and welfare activities. We have nothing to do with Lashkar-e-Taiba.

"We have always followed the laws and regulations of Pakistan, and we believe the government will protect us in the face of these false accusations."

 

[hasang20]

unfortunatly Zardari has been bribed and he sold Pakistan already now US control Pakistans interactivity

_ FREEDOM OF SPEECH DONT REMOVE MY COMMENTS

 

[yarmook]

You can take shelter in J&K but definitely cannot run camps with so much army presence. Hizb-M presence is in Pak-administered kashmir, its head quarters isin Muzaffarabad.

When Advani was Home Minister of India and Mufti Saeed was Chief Minister of Held Kashmir, BJP used Mufti Saeed to damage Hizbul Mujahideen in Held Kashmir. Mufti Saeed is close buddy of founder of Hizbul Mujahadeen, Mr Syed Sallhuddin. BJP was knowing all this and has provided money too to Mufti Saeed for engaging Syed Sallhuddin in talks.
In other words Indian Government had been talking to Hizbul Mujahadeen so no reason for India now to cry foul.

 

[haviZsultan]

absoulte shameful act.. bullshit.

I cannot believe my government did this

 

[indradhanush]

Lashkar was operating as Dawa: Pak Minister