Musharraf calls for holy war against preachers of hate
ISLAMABAD, Friday (Reuters) - After a blitz of detentions of
suspected militants and Islamists, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf
called for a holy war against preachers of hate and announced steps to
curb militant Islamic schools and groups.
Musharraf spoke on Thursday in a televised address to the nation,
which was awaited with keen anticipation both at home and in Britain
after revelations of Pakistani links to the July 7 bomb attacks on
London that killed at least 56 people.
"I urge you, my nation, to stand up and wage a jihad (holy war)
against extremism and to stand up against those who spread hatred and
chaos in the society," Musharraf said.
But he had a message for Britain too, saying it had plenty to address
on the homefront in the war against terrorism without getting into a
blame game with Pakistan.
In the last week, Pakistani security forces have detained close to
300 people, prompting Pakistan's Islamist opposition parties to call for
nationwide protests on Friday against the authorities' crackdown.
The vast majority of those detained were picked up in countrywide
raids on private houses and madrasas, or Muslim religious schools,
during the past two days.
None, according to British diplomats in Islamabad, had anything to do
with the London bombings two weeks ago.
"No one connected to the London bombings has been arrested in
Pakistan during the past 48 hours," Peter Wilson, political counsellor
at the British High Commission, told Reuters.
Other media quoted the British embassy's high commissioner, Mark
Lyall-Grant, as saying that no arrests linked to the bombings had been
made in Pakistan since the attacks on July 7.
Security officials told Reuters on Wednesday they had on Monday
arrested Haroon Rashid Aswad, a man reportedly wanted for questioning in
London in connection with the bombings.
The Daily Times newspaper reported on Thursday that a Haroon Rashid
had been picked up but it was not the same man.
Musharraf said that while three of the London bombers may have been
of Pakistani descent, they were born and brought up in Britain, where
extremist Islamist organisations also existed.
He pointed to two, the Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party) and al
Muhajiroun (The Migrants).
"They had the audacity of passing an edict against my life and yet
they operate with full impunity. They also give sermons of hate and
anger and violence," he said.
"Therefore ... there is a lot to be done by Pakistan internally. And
may I suggest there is a lot to be done in England also."
As Musharraf spoke, security forces raided the house of Hakeem Ehsan
Jigranwi, president of the Punjab chapter of the Pakistani wing of Hizb
ut-Tahrir in the eastern city of Lahore, detaining him and another man.
Musharraf addressed some British anxieties by announcing steps to
rein in militant Islamic schools and organisations seen as having
influenced the bombers.
He said all madrasas would have to register with authorities by
December.
He also said banned militant groups would not be allowed to re-form
under new names or to raise funds, unauthorised arms would be strictly
prohibited and action would be taken against the distribution of
literature designed to spread hatred.
Some of the 50 suspects rounded up in the eastern province of Punjab
this week were members of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad and a splinter
group allied with foreign al Qaeda operatives hiding in Pakistan.
In the southern province of Sindh, police have arrested 45 people,
including Maulana Ali Sher Hyderi, a top leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba
Pakistan, a Sunni extremist group with a record of attacks on minority
Shi'ite Muslims.
But in Karachi, Sindh's capital, Deputy Inspector General of police
Mushtaq Shah said no arrests were made during overnight raids on several
madrasas and mosques. "It appears that they have gone underground, but
we are chasing them," he said.
Earlier Musharraf chided militant Islamist groups for seeking to
stall the 19-month-old peace process with India, and said he was hopeful
of reaching a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute.
"I am optimistic to a large extent that we will resolve all our
disputes with India along with the Kashmir dispute," he said.
Musharraf said militant groups wanted to settle scores with India
through military means.
"Now, when we are trying to resolve all political disputes with India
peacefully, they are opposing it and they want to do jihad (holy war).
They want to do jihad in the world and do jihad everywhere," he added. |