Pakistani Government might allow Sipah-e-Sahaba activities

Government might allow Sipah-e-Sahaba activities

* Organisation must promise not to incite sectarian violence
* Millat-e-Islamia’s first public meeting on 6th

By Mohammad Imran

ISLAMABAD: The government might relax some restrictions on banned militant organisation Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and allow it to commence political activities in a “very low profile” under the name Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, sources told Daily Times.

Sources said the decision was made after a recent meeting involving officials from law enforcement agencies, the National Crisis Management Cell and the Sipah. Officials have placed two major conditions on the Sipah to resume even low-key political activities, they said. “The government has stressed that the Sipah’s leaders cannot incite sectarian violence in any way nor abuse any person in a public meeting,” they added.

“Authorities decided to relax some restrictions on the Sipah after these assurances and allow it to restart political activities under the umbrella of Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan.”

Sources said Brig (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema, director general of the National Crisis Management Cell, had earlier arranged talks between the Sipah and Pakistan Islami Tehrik and security officials to stop sectarian violence. “The director general formed a committee consisting of six Sipah and Pakistan Islami Tehrik (PIT) members to set up a socially acceptable code of conduct for the organisations,” they added. “PIT members did not participate in the committee’s meeting and thus a decision wasn’t reached.”

After the committee’s failure, Dr Khadim Hussain Dhilon asked the president to allow the Sipah to restart political activities, sources said. They hinted that it was likely the government would not increase the duration of Millat-e-Islamia President Maulana Ahmed Ludhyanvi’s house arrest.

Millat-e-Islamia’s first public meeting will be held in Islamabad on April 6 and Ali Sher Haidry, patron-in-chief of the organisation, and Dr Khadim Hussain Dhilon will address participants.

Earlier termed Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) is a Sunni sectarian outfit that has been alleged to be involved in terrorist violence, primarily targeted against the minority Shia community in Pakistan. The outfit has also operated as a political party having contested elections and an SSP leader was a minister in the Coalition Government in Punjab in 1993. The SSP is one of the five outfits that have been proscribed by President Pervez Musharraf on January 12, 2002. The outfit is reported to have been renamed as Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan after the proscription.

SSP extremists have primarily operated in two ways: The first involves targeted killings of prominent opponent organisation activists. In the second, terrorists fire on worshippers in mosques operated by opposing sects.