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Pak army fomenting religious extremism: MQM

Smarting under its "failure" to check the growth of the Muttahida Quami Movement and other regional forces, Pakistan's state apparatus and the military are now using religious extremists to counter their influence, MQM leaders charged Tuesday.

"The Punjabi army, civil bureaucracy and the Inter-service Intelligence are now orchestrating the takeover of Sindh in general and Karachi in particular through religious extremist groups sponsored by them," Mohammad Anwar, MQM's chief organiser in the UK and Europe, told PTI.

Recruitment and short training courses are being organised in Sindh and other provinces like Baluchistan to attract unemployed youth to "jihad", he said.

"See the gatherings at Larkana (Sindh) to recieve Masood Azhar (the fundamentalist leader freed by India during last December's hijack)," S A Tariq Mir, Member of MQM's Central Coordination Committee, said in reply to a question. "This is a real threat not only for Mohajirs and Sindhis but also to other countries in the region."

"If Pakistan remained unstructured, the ISI will not leave any country in the region - whether Central Asian states, China, Afghanistan or India. Osama Bin Laden is considered a threat by the United States and the western nations, but they are not bothered about the (fundamentalist) takeover of Karachi," Anwar said.

MQM leaders, including the party's deputy convenor, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, cautioned India and other neighbours of Pakistan against the consequences of a probable takeover of the nuclear capabilities by religious fundamentalist groups.

"An unstructured Pakistan with its nuclear capability and the nuclear button in the hands of Punjabi extremists with the fervour of 'jihad' would not even take a second to push the nuclear button in desperation," Mir said.

The MQM leaders claimed that over 70 per cent of Pakistani Army was influenced by religious extremists. "All over their barracks you can see jihadi slogans like Jihad Fi Sabi Lillah (We shall win the Holy War) written on their walls," he said.

"Over five million trained religious extremists equaling the number of the regular Pakistan Army is a potential threat to the region. The onus is now on the countries in the region to help Pakistan structure its political and economic foundations," the MQM leader said.

Siddiqui said the ISI had created, sponsored, armed and directed the Taliban in Afghanistan, it "pays Taliban supremo Mullah Omar and the war against (Northern Alliance led by) Ahmed Shah Masood is being fought by the ISI."

The MQM leaders said the effects of propping up of religious fundamentalism was being experienced by India too.

PTI

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