Leaders
of Major Islamist Groups in Pakistan
Jyoti
Arya
Introduction
A
few weeks ago a discussion on the forum at www.bharat-rakshak.com
veered onto the topic of Islamist leadership in
Pakistan. The discussion resulted in the creation of
a thread dedicated to that topic[i].
Though I did not actually participate in the thread,
I was asked by the editorial team of the BR Monitor
to collate the information collected in it. So I
started with the thread and liberally added
information from my personal collection of photos
and articles on the Islamists of Pakistan.
The
editorial team hoped that this article would serve
as an easy reference chart for people seeking to
discuss the personalities in the Islamist movements
in Pakistan. So in order to reflect that mandate I
have organized the data available on these persons
into three categories:
1)
The leaders of the established political
formations: These leaders are the public face of
Islamist politics in Pakistan. Most of them came to
prominence in the early years of General Zia’s
reign when they were accorded state support. Today
they claim to represent a sizeable portion of the
Pakistan’s religiously minded population.
2)
The leaders of the Tanzeems:
Islamist organizations (Tanzeems) tend to be
somewhat removed from the mainstream polity. Unlike
the political parties the Tanzeems are
dedicated to achievement of a specific goal. These
are a somewhat camera shy lot and their personal
histories are equally elusive.
3)
The spiritual leaders: These persons
represent the leaders of the major spiritual
movements in Pakistani Islam. Their influence is
difficult to characterize however given Pakistan’s
emphasis on Islamist piety, there is little to
undermine their influence.
4)
The Military Islamists: These
represent serving and retired military officers who
do not seem to shy from associating with Islamist
political groups.
I
have posted a photograph of the persons and a direct
link to the biography wherever possible. When such
resources are not available, I have presented a
collation of the biographical data from various
sources. I must emphasize that this is a rushed
effort and errors in the collation are regrettable.
This collection is far from complete and I apologize
for any errors in accrediting photographs.
Leaders of
established political formations
Pakistan
has become a breeding ground for an enormous variety
of Islamist political interests. The political
history here is rich and all sorts of Tehreeks,
Jamaats and Tahaffuzs abound. As with any reasonable
political struggle each split was paid for in
“blood, sweat and tears”[ii].
Given
the number of formations with the Islamist label, it
is impossible to show all of them. Indeed the author
doubts if outside the Pakistani Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) Internal Politics Division,
anyone would even have a database of that accounted
for all of these groups.
It
is possible however to see some of the prominent
ones, and most of these are all the main political
parties that work under the umbrella of the
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)[iii]
The
JeI is the oldest and largest political formation in
Pakistan. It is also the most evolved and the most
popular. It is argued in some sections of the media
that the JeI draws on the so-called `lower church’
i.e. Barelvi church of Islam[iv].
The Barelvis constitute the bulk of the population
and hence the JeI is very popular. It is likely that
such a view is an oversimplification.
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Qazi Hussain
Ahmed[v]
Qazi
Hussain is the Amir (President) of the
Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist
political group in Pakistan.
Qazi
Hussain Ahmed holds a Masters in Science
(Geography) from Peshawar university. He has
served as a graduate level instructor in the
subject. However given his inclination towards
political activity. He moved into the
Jamaat-e-Islami after leaving his career at
the university.
He
is among the oldest and most respected
Islamist political leaders in Pakistan and his
formation commands considerable respect among
common folk in Pakistan[vi].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/qha.html
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Prof.
Khurshid Ahmed[vii]
Khurshid
Ahmed is the Naib-Amir (Vice-President) of the
Jamaat-e-Islami.
He
was born in Delhi and holds He holds
Bachelor’s degree in Law and Jurisprudence,
Master’s degrees in Economics and Islamic
Studies, and also an Honorary Doctorate (Ph.D)
in Education.
He
has served on several major government and
religious committees and is held in high
regard for his diverse and deep knowledge of
issues[viii].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/pka.html
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Liaqat
Baloch[ix]
Liaqat
Baloch is a Naib-Amir (Vice-President) of the
Jamaat-e-Islami.
He
was born in Multan and holds a Masters degree
in Mass Communication and a Bachelor degree in
Law
He
has been elected twice to the National
Assembly of Pakistan from Lahore and during
his stay in the parliament; he headed the
committee on Science and Technology and was a
member of the committee on Public Accounts and
Business Communities[x].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/lb.html
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Prof.
Ghafoor Ahmed[xi]
Ghafoor
Ahmed is a Naib-Amir (Vice-President) of the
Jamaat-e-Islami.
He
was born in Bareilly in U.P. and holds Masters
degree in Commerce from the University of
Lucknow in 1948. Later, he also completed the
course of Industrial Accounts and became
fellow of the Institute of Cost and Management
Accountants of Pakistan.
He
has been elected to the National Assembly of
Pakistan from Karachi and served as a Federal
Minister for industries [xii].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/pga.html
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Mohammad
Aslam Saleemi[xiii]
M.
A. Saleemi is a Naib Amir (Vice President) of
the Jamaat-e-Islami.
M.
A. Saleemi hails from Kasur in Punjab and
holds a Bachelor degree in law and a Masters
degree in Islamic Studies. He also has a
diploma education in Taxation and Labour Laws
(1972) and has done elementary study in Arabic
and special course of Tafseer (exegesis).
His
involvement with the Jamaat dates back to his
time as a lawyer and he has held several
organizational posts within the Jamaat.[xiv].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/mas.html
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Jan Mohammed
Abbasi[xv]
Jan
Mohammed Abbasi is a Naib Amir (Vice
President) of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
J.
M. Abbasi is a native of Larkana in Sindh, and
received a traditional education from his
father. He subsequently went on to study
Arabic Philosophy and Logic.
Abbasi
worked his way up through the Jamaat ranks by
taking on political giants in Sindh. He has
also built up a fairly large institutional
base for the Jamaat in the Sindh[xvi].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/jma.html
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Chaudhry
Rehmat Elahi[xvii]
Chaudhry
Rehmat Elahi is a Naib Amir (Vice President)
of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
He
hails from Jhelum in Punjab, and is a former
soldier in the Pakistan Army. He left the
Pakistan army to participate in the Jamaat’s
political activities and rose to prominence in
the turbulent period of the Anti-Ahmediyya
riots in Lahore. He was also a leading light
in the Anti-Qadaini movement. He has served as
the Federal Minister for Water Power and
Natural Resources.
In
his capacity as Naib Ameer he supervises
Jama’at’s labour wing, the farmers’
organizations, the finance department of the
party, and the Islamic Education Society.[xviii].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/cri.html
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Syed
Munawwar Hasan[xix]
Syed
Munawwar Hasan is the Qayyim (Secretary
General) of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
He
hails from Delhi and holds a Masters in
Sociology (1963) and Islamic Studies (1966)
from Karachi University.
Syed
Munawwar Hasan has held several administrative
posts in the Jamaat and is regarded as one of
their smoothest orators.[xx].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) website.
http://www.jamaat.org/leadership/smh.html
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Jamaat
ul Ulema e Islami - Fazlur Rehman Faction JUI(F)[xxi]
The
JUI (F) is an offshoot of the JUI (Pakistan). It is
primarily a Deobandi dominated body that has its
roots in the old Jamaat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind that existed
before 1947. The JUI-F shot into prominence recently
for its involvement with the Taliban[xxii].
The JUI-F is the biggest of the three JUI factions
and its leader was considered as a candidate for
Prime Minister of Pakistan after the recent election
MMA victory.
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Fazlur
Rehman is the Amir (President) of the
Jamaat-ul-Ulema-e-Islami (F) faction.
He
hails from Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP and he
took over the JUI from his father Maulana
Mufti Mahmood who was the Chief Minister of
NWFP [xxiv].
Fazlur
Rehman was elected to the Pakistan National
Assembly thrice. From his position there he
played a critical role in shaping Benazir
Bhutto’s support to the Taliban. Currently
he is a `Secretary General’ in the Muttahida
Majlis-e-Amal.
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) website.
http://www.mma.org.pk/
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Maulana
Hafiz Hussain Ahmed [xxv]
Hafiz
Hussain Ahmed is currently a `deputy General
Secretary’ in the MMA.
No
biography or profile of him is currently
available but he has contested the election
from NA-260 Quetta-Cum-Chagai-Cum Mastung and
is believed to reside in Quetta[xxvi].
He is also a recognizable voice in the
National assembly and is quite possibly
Fazl-ur-Rehman’s political assistant.
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Maulana
Abdul Ghafoor Haideri [xxvii]
Abdul
Ghafoor Haideri was the `central General
Secretary’ of the JUI(F). He is currently a
`leader’ in the MMA.
No
biography of him is currently available.
However he was elected from NA-268
Kalat-Cum-Mastung and resides in Kalat
District. He shot into prominence when he
(along with others of the MMA)
enthusiastically pushed for the formation of
an MMA government at the center with Maulana
Fazlur Rehman as the Prime Minister. A
combination of American resistance and
political rivalry with a powerful feudal clan
in Punjab resulted in the failure of this
effort, but Maulana Haideri became a regular
fixture at MMA photo sessions.
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Maulana
Noor Mohammed Hussain
[xxviii]
Noor
Mohammed Hussain is a `central leader’ of
the MMA. No detailed biography of him is
available at the present time. He is usually
seen at most major MMA gatherings and is a
member of the National Assembly.
Noor
Mohammed is actually part of a group of six
MMA ulema from Balochistan who were all
arrested for making pro-Osama and Taliban
speeches during the early part of Operation
Enduring Freedom. Subsequently all six of
these ulema were elected from Balochistan.
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Jamaat
ul Ulema Pakistan
(JUP)[xxix]
The
Jamaat-ul-Ulema Pakistan is a Barelvi dominated
organization. The party has a long history of
participation in Pakistani politics and has
contested several elections.
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Shah Ahmad
Noorani Siddiqui[xxx]
Maulana
Shah Ahmad Noorani was born in Meerut, India.
He is the son of Late Maulana Shah Muhammad
Abdul Aleem Siddiqui al-Qadiri Mubaligh-e-Azam,
the head of Qadiriyya and Chistiyya Spiritual
Orders.
Maulana
Noorani himself is an Islamic scholar of
international repute. He has been elected many
times to the Pakistani national parliament and
has traveled extensively abroad. He is
regarded as one of the more urbane faces in
the MMA.[xxxi]
A
detailed biography of this man may be found at
the MMA website.
http://www.mma.org.pk
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Jamaat
ul Ulema e Islami (JuI-S) – Sami ul Haq Faction[xxxii]
The
JuI(S) is an offshoot of the Jamaat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind.
It has become closely associated with the
Anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan and subsequently
with the Taliban. The JuI(S) draws on the Dar-ul-Uloom
Haqqania and the Dar-ul-Uloom Sarhad near Akora
Khattak for a dedicated corps of followers.
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Sami-ul-Haq
is the Amir (President) of the
Jamaat-ul-Ulema-e-Islami (S) faction.
Sami-ul-Haq
was born in Akora Khattak in September 1937.
He subsequently graduated from the Dar ul
Uloom Haqqania which was started by his father
Maulana Abdul Haq. He went on to become an
instructor in Islamic studies and now heads
the same school. He has a long involvement
with major Islamist causes in Pakistan like
the Nizam-e-Mustafa agitation and the
Khatm-e-Nubuwwat movement. He has been elected
to the Pakistani Parliament and was a major
mover behind the shariah bill[xxxiv]
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the MMA website.
www.mma.org.pk
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Hamid-ul-Haq
is the Naib Amir (Vice President) of the
Jamaat-ul-Ulema-e-Islami (S) faction.
Hamid
was born in Akora Khattak in September 1967.
He is Sami-ul Haq's son. He has a B.A Degree
from Punjab University but has also completed
an Islamic degree from the Dar ul Uloom
Haqqania. He went on to become an instructor
in Islamic studies at Haqqania. Hamid
contested the election from NA-6 Nowshera and
won.[xxxvi].
No
detailed biography of this man is currently
available.
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Islami-Tehreek-e-Pakistan
The
Islami-Tehreek-e-Pakistan is the new name for the
Tehreek-e-Jafaria-Pakistan (TJP). This group is one
of Pakistan’s few Shiite political formations. The
Tehreek-e-Jafaria was labeled a terrorist
organization by General Musharraf’s government.
This move forced the its leader to seek a more
activist political profile and soon the
Islami-Tehreek-e-Pakistan joined the Muttahida
Majlis-e-Amal. The presence of the
Islami-Tehreek-e-Pakistan in the Sunni dominated MMA
ranks does a lot to enhance the MMA’s
non-sectarian appearance. For its part the TJP’s
metamorphosis into a more `mainstream’ group is
not entirely out of character with the times.
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Allama Syed
Sajjad Ali Naqvi[xxxvii]
Sajjad
Naqvi is the Amir (President) of the Islami
Tehreek-e-Pakistan.
He
hails from Mulawali
near Islamabad. He is a minor Islamic
scholar who hails from a longt line of Shiite
reformers in the region. He publicly took over
the TJP in 1994, and since then the
organization has been fighting a protracted
struggle against several sunni sectarian
groups[xxxviii].
A
detailed profile of this man may be found at
the MMA website.
www.mma.org.pk
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Markaz-e-Jamaat-Ahle-Hadith
The
Markaz-e-Jamaat-Ahle-Hadith is the biggest
Ahle-Hadith groups in Pakistan. This Jamaat claims
ancestry going by to some of the most influential
Salafi thinkers in the subcontinent, but in recent
times this group has come to have extremely strong
ties with the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia. This group
is usually projects some of the more inward looking
political ideas in Pakistan and it has been among
the most strident voices in conservative Islam.
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Prof. Sajid
Mir[xxxix]
Sajid
Mir is the Amir (President) of the Markaz-i-Jamaat-Ahle-Hadith.
Sajid
Mir is an Islamist scholar with a degree from
Saudi Arabia. He is a veteran of the rough and
tumble of Ahle-Hadith politics in Pakistan. He
is also a bit of a misfit into the MMA
currently and his group is regarded as being
somewhat on the fringe of the MMA. In recent
times he has gain prominence by projecting the
possibility of a split in the MMA.
A
detailed profile of this man is currently
unavailable, however one may soon be up on the
MMA website: www.mma.org.pk
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Leaders of the Tanzeems
The Tanzeems
are usually highly focused organizations. They all
operate towards the achievement of an objective. The
Tanzeem is somewhere between a political
party and a religiously driven social action group.
There are all sorts of Tanzeems in Pakistan;
we shall focus on some of the more notorious ones
that have a proclivity for Jehad with the
sword.
Markaz-e-Dawat-ul-Irshad/Lashkar-e-Tayyaba/Jamaat-ud-Dawah
This
organization was setup to provide religious
indoctrination for the Anti-Soviet Jihad in
Afghanistan. Subsequent to the departure of the
Soviets from Afghanistan, this group became active
in Kashmir working alongside local Kashmiri groups
like the Al Barq, run by the late Abdul Ghani Lone.
This group is closely associated with Osama Bin
Laden’s Al Qaida network and was recently subject
to a `ban’ by the Pakistani Government after its
members were found to be involved in massacres in
India[xl].
Needless to say the `ban’ was never quite
implemented with much zeal in Pakistan and the group
remains active there.
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Hafiz
Mohammed Saeed[xli]
Hafiz
Mohammed Saeed is the Amir (President) of the
Jamaat-ud-Dawat.
He hails from Village Janubi in Mianwali Dist
in Pakistani Punjab. He is a Punjabi gujjar by
ethnicity. He has bachelors in science from
Govt. College Sargodha, and masters in Islamic
studies and Arabic lexicon from Saudi Arabia.
For the past two years he has been involved in
motivating mujaheddin to fight in various wars
at the behest of the Pakistani government. Of
late his long history of contacts with Osama
Bin Laden is cause for some discord with the
Government of Pervez Musharraf, and he is on
record claiming that the Lashkar-e-Taiba has
`nuclear tipped missiles under its control’.[xlii] |
Anjuman
Sipaha Saheba Pakistan (SSP)
The
SSP is an offshoot of the Anjuman Sipaha Saheba
Pakistan. It is a Sunni Deobandi dominated
organization and is generally regarded as one of the
most virulent anti-Shiite groups in Pakistan. The
SSP is very closely allied with the Taliban and with
Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaida organization. SSP cadre
participated in battles with the Taliban in various
campaigns and during Operation Enduring Freedom.
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Maulana
Muhammad Azzam Tariq[xliii]
Maulana
Azzam Tariq is the `deputy-Patron-in-Chief’
of the Sipaha Saheba Pakistan.
Maulana
Muhammad Azam Tariq, hails from Chichawatani
in Punjab. He has an
M.A.(Arabic) and M.A.(Islamyat) from
Jammia-Islamia Karachi. Having been elected in
1990 and 1993, he served as member, National
Assembly for two successive terms; and, has
been first elected to the Provincial Assembly
of the Punjab in 1997.[xliv]
Maulana
Tariq had a fair bit of trouble trying to join
the MMA. So he has formed his own party
Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan. No detailed bio or
profile of this man is current available.
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Jaish-e-Muhammed(JeM)/Tehrik-e-Fuqran
The
JeM is an offshoot of the Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin. It
was formed in the early 2000, after Maulana Masood
Azhar was released from a prison in India in
exchange for the lives of the hostages on the
hijacked flight IC-814. The JeM is patronized by
powerful Deobandi Ulema in the Jamia Binoria in
Karachi, and the Jamia Ashrafiya in Lahore. It also
enjoys the support of the Inter-Services
Intelligence branch of the Pakistani Army and it has
very close ties to Osama Bin Laden and the Al Qaida.
The JeM has a strong support base among powerful
businessmen in Pakistani Punjab. The JeM was also
`banned’ by
the Pakistani Government after its members were
found to be involved in suicide attacks in India,
but that `ban’ has proved to ineffective in
curbing its activities.
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Maulana
Masood Azhar[xlv]
Maulana
Masood Azhar is the Amir (President) of the
JeM.
He
hails from Bahawalpur in Pakistani Punjab. He
is a graduate of the Jamia Binoria in Karachi
and began his career as the editor of the
Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin’s journal. Subsequently
he was tasked with carrying out a unification
of the major Islamist terrorist groups
operating in Jammu and Kashmir in India under
the banner of the Harkat-ul-Ansar. However he
was arrested by the Indian police in 1994 and
incarcerated at a prison in Jammu[xlvi].
He
was released from captivity and returned to
Pakistan in 2000. Subsequently he has
continued his campaign of terror in India[xlvii].
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Al-Badr
This
group is an offshoot of the Hizbul Mujaheddin. The
Al-Badr claims to be an all Kashmiri organization
but it is now believed to be under the control of
Pakistani Punjabis. This organization also has
strong links to Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaida network
and the ISI in Pakistan. Its operatives have been
found involved in terrorist acts in Jammu and
Kashmir in India[xlviii].
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Bakht
Zameen is the Amir (President) of the Al Badr.
Bakht
Zameen split from the Hizbul Mujaheddin in
1998. Since then Bakht Zameen has been seen
with several top Islamist leaders in Pakistan
and is a firm voice on the Muttahida Jihad
Council[l].
No
profile or bio of this man is currently
available but over the years his visibility
has grown considerably.
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Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin(HuM)/Harkat-ul-Ansar
(HuA)
The HuM is an
offshoot of the Harkat-Ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI)
which was setup by the ISI and the CIA to help
organize the Anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan. The
HuM is a staunchly Deobandi organization that is
connected to several well-placed Deobandi schools in
Pakistan. After the end of the war in Afghanistan,
the HuM diverted its attention to the ISI-sponsored
proxy war in Kashmir. The HuM is believed to have
been closely connected with the Makhtab-Al-Khidmat
setup by Osama Bin Laden’s mentor Abdullah Azzam.
After the start of the US offensive against the
Taliban, HuM cadre went into Afghanistan to assist
the Taliban.
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Fazlur
Rehman Khalil[li]
Fazlur
Rehman Khalil is the `Patron’ of the
Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin.
He
is most likely a native of NWFP. He built the
HuM by splitting the HuJI organization in
1985. It is believed that he had the support
of key ISI officers in this split. Under his
guidance the HuM operated the logistics of the
jihad machinery Afghanistan and Kashmir. The
HuM attempted forge the Harkat-ul-Ansar to
fight the Jihad in Kashmir, however elements
of the HuA kidnapped and killed western
tourists in Kashmir and the HuA was designated
at terrorist organization. So the HuM reverted
back to its old name and dropped the HuA
label.
The
HuM was placed on the State Department
Terrorist Organizations list after Khalil
signed Osama Bin Laden’s fatwa [lii].
No
biography or profile of this individual is
currently available.
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Spiritual
Leaders
This
community is actually fairly large; I have managed
to point to some of the biggest names. In some cases
the leaders actually head up major movements in
Pakistan.
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Maulana
Nizamuddin Shamzai[liii]
Maulana
Shamzai heads the Majlis- e- Ta'awun-i -Islami.
He is also the
`Patron in Chief’ of the Jaish-e-Mohammed)
Maulana
Shamzai is one of the senior-most Ulema at
Dar-ul-Ifta (Clerical Opinion) department at
the Jamia Binoria in Karachi. He was among the
most influential promoters of the Taliban.[liv]
A
detailed profile of this man is unavailable at
the present time.
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Maulana Taqi
Usmani[lv]
Maulana
Taqi Usmani is a respected Islamic economic
scholar. He was a judge on the federal Shariah
court before his views on the lack of `Islamic
Banking’ in Pakistan led to his removal from
service. Since then he has enthusiastically
participated in a number of Islamist causes.[lvi]
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Dr Israr
Ahmad[lvii]
Dr.
Israr Ahmad is currently the patron of the
Tanzeem-e-Islami.
Dr.
Israr Ahmad started as a doctor of medicine
before he gave up his practice to take up
Islamic studies. He briefly dabbled in
politics by joining the Islami Jamaat Taleba
but soon returned to spiritual activity. In
1972 he founded Markazi Anjuman
Khuddam-Ul-Qur’an to disseminate and
propagate the knowledge and wisdom of The Holy
Qur’an. In 1975 he founded Tanzeem-e-Islami
for establishing Deen through a truly
revolutionary process derived from the life of
the Prophet Mohammed.
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Manzoor
Ahmed Chinioti[lviii]
Maulana
Manzoor Ahmed Chinioti, hails from Chiniot in
Punjab. He has an M.A. Islamiyat and Arabic.
He is connected with the Khatam-e-Nabuwat
movement which aims to end all discord
relating to the `Finality of the Prophet’.
Maulana Manzoor is the Chancellor,
International Khatam-e-Nabuwat University
Chiniot, the Chief Organizer Idara
Markaz-e-Dawat-o-Irshad, Chiniot; and the
General Secretary International
Khatam-e-Nabuwat movement. He has been a
member of the Provincial Assembly of the
Punjab from 1985 to 1988, 1988 to 1990; and,
has been re-elected for the third term in
1997.
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The
Military Islamists
Overt
association with Islamist political groups is
something most Pakistan army officers try to avoid.
Most prefer to garb this association, as some form
of harmless spiritual activity. A common trend in
the past has been to associate with a spiritual
organization called Tablighi Jamaat(TJ), however in
1995, elements of a TJ cell were found to be
involved in a coup attempt to remove Benazir Bhutto
from power[lix].
The camera-shy nature of the TJ prevents a
fuller appreciation of key influences in it. I have
however managed to pull together others who are
quite prominent. I regret not being able to place
photos of Maj. Gen. (r) Zahir-ul-Islam Abbasi and
Lt. Gen. K. M. Azhar here.
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Lt. Gen.(r)
Hamid Gul[lx]
Hamid
Gul is a former head of the Inter-Services
Intelligence branch of the Pakistan Army. He
was closely connected with the ISI-CIA
operations during the Anti-Soviet Jihad in
Afghanistan. Hamid Gul was believed to be very
close to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hizbe-Islami
(Khalis). Hamid Gul was once thought to be in
line for becoming COAS of the Pakistani Army
after Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg. However he lost
out to another candidate. Hamid Gul attributes
his loss to American interference[lxi].
A
detailed bio of this man is currently
unavailable.
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Lt. Gen. (r)
Javed Nasir[lxii]
Javid
Nasir is an officer of the engineering corps
of the Pakistan Army. He is strongly connected
with a popular religious movement known as the
Tablighi Jamaat. Nasir retired as the Director
of the ISI branch of the Pakistan Army. During
his time terrorism in the Indian states of
Punjab and Kashmir received a major boost.
During Javed Nasir’s tenure the ISI
conducted a series of blasts in Bombay city
that left 600 people dead.
Javed
initially attributed his sudden removal to the
American pressure on the Pakistan to do
something visible to appease the government of
India. Later he claimed that he had been
removed from service because the US Govt. was
unhappy about his secret transfer of army to
Bosnian Islamists in defiance of the UN Arms
embargo in 1993[lxiii].
A
detailed profile of this man is currently
unavailable.
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N/A
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Lt. Gen. (r)
K. M. Azhar
Gen
Azhar is a member of the Jamaat-ulema
Pakistan. He was the governor of NWFP[lxiv].
A
detailed profile of this man is currently
unavailable.
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N/A
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Maj. Gen.
(r) Zahir-ul-Islam Abbasi
Zahir
Abbasi was an infantry officer who was deputed
to Delhi as the ISI head of station in the
80s. Subsequent to his return to Pakistan, he
was posted to the HQ 323 brigade at Dansam.
Here he carried out a disastrous frontal
charge on Indian positions that killed several
Pakistani army men. Subsequently in 1987 he
was involved in the massacre of Shiites in the
Gilgit area along side elements of Osama Bin
Laden’s Arab legions and Sipaha Saheba
Pakistan
In
1995 Maj. Gen. Abbasi attempted to carry out a
coup to depose the Pakistani Prime Ministers
Benazir Bhutto. Gen. Abbasi wanted to end
`westernized’ democracy and establish an
`Islamic State’ in Pakistan[lxv].
His attempt failed and he was arrested. He was
released from prison when Gen. Musharraf
removed PM Nawaz Sharif from power. After his
release Gen. Abbasi established an Islamist
organization called `Hizballah’ to bring
about an Islamist revolution in Pakistan. [lxvi]
A
detailed profile of this man is currently
unavailable at this time.
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