Department of Social Sciences, Lahore Garrison University, Lahore, Pakistan
Published Date: June 26, 2017
The recruitment for ISIS have been going on in Pakistan for the past more than 3 years, but the Foreign and the Interior Ministries of Pakistan have been constantly denying the presence and activities of ISIS in Pakistan. Law Enforcement agencies have very recently arrested many people from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot who were associated with ISIS networks. Men have been recruited as jihadis or mujahids and women as jihadi wives to provide sexual needs of fighters who are fighting in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Many women, impressed and convinced through brainwashing with the concept of Jihad-Bil-Nikah, got divorce from their Pakistani husbands and went to marry a Mujahid of ISIS for a certain period, came back gave birth to the child of Mujahid, and remarried their former husband. Some decide to continue that marriage for rest of their lives. All of this is being done to obtain worldly wealth and later eternal life in Heaven because ISIS is paying something around RS. 50,000 to 60,000 per month to every warrior, which is a hefty amount for an unemployed youth suffering in unemployment, poverty and inflation here in Pakistan, which is ruled by corrupt ruling elite for the past 68 years and masses only got poverty for being true Muslims and patriot Pakistanis.
Most secret and law-enforcement agencies have behaved like a silent bystander to the activities of ISIS in the country. Is this an unofficial channel of providing soldiers to provide the Saudi demands for fighters to fight on behalf of Saudi armies in Yemen and Syria?.
Introduction
A sort of high level game is going on, on the political, foreign policy and law-enforcement levels regarding the presence of ISIS in Pakistan1. The politicians, Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, and Law Enforcement Agencies are singing different tunes regarding the presence, recruitments and migration of jihadis or mujahids and jihadi wives from Pakistan to Syria to join the ISIS2. It seems that publicly, the Pakistani Government has refused Saudi Government to send Pakistani armies to Saudi Arabia to fight against Houthi rebels, but silently some private groups have been allowed to recruit youth to join Saudi Armies to fight against Houthis and also against ISIS, which are a major threat against not only Saudi Empire, but also against Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern Kingdoms.
This research paper will critically analyze the ground realities and actual situation about the presence of jihadi networks of ISIS, recruitments for and against ISIS, popularity of the concept of Jihad- Bil-Nikah3, attitudes and behavior of politicians, law enforcement agencies, Ministry of Interior, Foreign Ministry, religious leaders, and silent overlooking by the “Pakistani Establishment”4.
Whose interests are being protected by the Minister for Interior by his constant denial of the presence of ISIS in the country? Is he afraid of opening his mouth against ISIS? Is he instructed by his bosses to keep his mouth shut? Has he been paid huge sums of Riyals for keeping his mouth shut? Why is Sharif Government closing its eyes to the reality of ISIS in Pakistan? Is Sharif family obliging Saudis as close allies and relatives? Is Sharif family repaying the debt for the 1.5 billion US dollars that was given
The origin and background of ISIS
Marium Kamal in The Nation of June 14, 2015 ISIS in Pakistan “our frail social fabric comprising of more than 200 operative religious organizations who have the potency to attract or are attracted by ISIS extreme ideological phenomenon can lead to self-styled ISIS in Pakistan5.
The Middle East is bleeding by the sectarian violence created by ISIS, which led the region to complete chaos and complexity. The group originated in 1999 with compatible ideological dimensions under Al-Qaida. By June 2014, ISIS proclaimed itself to be a worldwide Caliphate of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdai (Amir al-Muminin), a mysterious figure, either a cleric or a soldier is not clear. The group renamed itself as the ‘Islamic State’ or ‘Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’. Their ideology has parallel alignment with the Salafi group with an inclination towards Jihadism. ISIS grew due to the decline of Al-Qaida in Iraq, where the Shia majority strived to form a government after the demise of Saddam Hussain. The US intervention and Saddam Hussain’s liquidation pushed Iraq into a political vacuum that paved the way for the extremist groups to enhance their influence with help of sectarian element to mount their authority on other groups.
As a result, regional convolutions enhanced after ISIS captured major northern areas of Iraq leading to severe clashes between Shia- Iraqi and ISIS forces. ISIS attracted much Sunni population in Iraq and included many commanders who were in Sadam Hussains’ army and fighters from Afghanistan and Chechnya. It is said that the group is militarily very well equipped. It possesses the latest technological weapons that may have been stolen from the Iraqi and Syrian army and achieved by some other sources. The group engages in well-funded and organized vicious attacks and they dishonor the bodies of their victims by exhibiting them on web and social media, and by showing photographs and videos of slaying under the name of Islamic Caliphate. ISIS’s activities are funded by different means. These include heavy ransom, black-marketed oil, looted banks and antiquities from historical sites, and international support. It controls oil and gas fields in both Syria and Iraq in addition to nearby phosphate mines that developed a lucrative trade. It has been revealed through different sources that sectarian Gulf states are supporting them in terms of cash and weapons with mutual ideological strokes, while, it is also recognized that some western powers are in their supportive list and have been providing artillery assistance” [1].
According to Scott Ritter, “its ranks are filled with veterans of the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003-2011 American invasion and occupation of Iraq. Likewise, the armed forces of Iraq were never fully defeated in 2003, nor did they ever surrender. Instead, they melted away overnight, part of a larger long-term strategy of resistance to American occupation initiated by the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, and sustained over the years by that organization and a myriad of other resistance groups, including Al Qaeda in Iraq (the precursor to the Islamic State). Once ensconced among a sympathetic and supportive population, these surviving forces provided the kernel of resistance that was never defeated, and which serves as an important element of the combat power of the Islamic State today”6.
According to Mustafa Akyol a Turkish Muslim analyst and expert of Islam and Islamic History: The birth of the modern-day Islamist movement was a reaction to this post-caliphate vacuum. The overly politicized Islamists not only kept the traditional view that religion and state are inseparable; they even recast religion as state. “True religion is no more than the system which God had decreed to govern the affairs of human life, Sayyid Qutb, a prominent Islamist ideologue, wrote in the 1960s. And since God would never actually come down to govern human affairs; Islamists would do it in his name” [2].
Another Internet source says that: “ISIS/ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria are believed to depend heavily on the experience of former officers of the armies’ of late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. However, according to counterterrorism expert Alain Rodier, these people's lack of ideological commitment to ISIS's ideology makes it theoretically possible to get them to switch sides'. After the US-led invasion in 2003, these sentiments increased dramatically, because Iraqis felt themselves to have been the victims of a terrible injustice. Only Ba'ath cadres and radical Islamists, united against a common enemy, were able to offer any resistance.' The most famous former Saddam loyalist to join ISIS, Rodier recalled, was Ibrahim al Douri Izzal, who first led the Jash Rijal al-Tariqa al-Nashibandiq movement, allying with Sunni movements to resist the American occupation. 'He joined the Islamic State of Iraq, the forerunner to ISIS. He went on to become an ISIS commander upon the group's formation in 2013. The Islamic State, in turn, officially appeared on the scene on June 29, 2014. It was reported that al-Douri was killed in April 2015, but his death has not been confirmed.' 'Other former high-ranking representatives of Saddam Hussein's regime serve in ISIS's army and its intelligence service some out of conviction, others out of opportunism. They were the ones in charge of mastering the somewhat sophisticated captured Syrian and Iraqi military equipment (tanks, artillery, communications equipment, etc.). After all, only they knew how to use it'”7.
About the origin and birth of ISIS in Afghanistan, Seyyed Abdullah Nazami in his column ‘Afghan Enemies of ISIS’ wrote that: “I belong to the Kunner Province of Afghanistan. This is one of the Afghan Provinces where ISIS is very strong. I went to the local school and many of my friends became jihadis instead of going to school. I think many people will be shocked or scared to read these lines written by me. But in my province, it is nothing new to join a jihad group rather it is like other professions. There are no job opportunities in this region. Youth is looking for jobs and ISIS gives them jobs because it has plenty of money and weapons. Sheikh Jamil, the pioneer of Wahabism in Afghanistan belonged to Kunner. He was given lavish funding and weapons by Saudi Arabia to set up religious seminaries and help jihadis… ISIS was found by a small group of 60 to 70 fighters, most of them had come from Pakistan. It was quite visible that this group was getting foreign funding. ISIS had a lot of funds and they were very organized just the way Taliban were in the beginning. ISIS did not levy taxes on the people like Taliban and this is why they became very popular… ISIS ideology and fighters are present in this region and it will be difficult to eliminate them completely”
The philosophy/ideology of ISIS and its modus operandi
ISIS is much more ruthless and cruel than Taliban. Taliban also did not have a word like mercy or forgiveness in their dictionary, but ISIS is 1000 times more cruel and ruthless as compared to Taliban.
• ISIS decree says to kill mentally retarded newborns.
• ISIS is snatching girls from families to forcibly marrying them with mujahideen.
• ISIS is killing women who refuse to become wives of Mujahideen.
• ISIS is taking away properties of people.
• They are kidnapping for ransom.
• They hid explosive mines in Korans in the areas vacated by ISIS. They can use anything and any place to place explosive mines8.
• A 15 year old child behead for listening Western music. According to details the 15 year old child Aham Hussain was listing Western Music in the general store of his father, the ISIS jihadis came and arrested him and presented before a judge of the ISIS court. The judge of the said court decreed that the child to beheaded immediately9.
• “Violence and oppression on innocent peasants and mass killing of people is increasing hatred against ISIS in the area”10.
Attitude of Pakistani government officials
Letter dropped by ISIS at the scene of bus attack at Safoora Goth, Karachi. The pamphlet say: ISIS has come into the field to implement Sharia and to take revenge of the Sunnis murdered in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, murder of innocent Sunnies in Raja Bazar Rawalpindi, murder of female students of Lal Masjid, mujahideen murdered in fake police encounters by bartered police officials like Rao Anwar, we will not sit with peace unless we cleanse the world off the elements which are responsible for all the above acts. We will make your family members cry out blood tears from their eyLetter dropped by ISIS at the scene of bus attack at Safoora Goth, Karachi. The pamphlet say: ISIS has come into the field to implement Sharia and to take revenge of the Sunnis murdered in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, murder of innocent Sunnies in Raja Bazar Rawalpindi, murder of female students of Lal Masjid, mujahideen murdered in fake police encounters by bartered police officials like Rao Anwar, we will not sit with peace unless we cleanse the world off the elements which are responsible for all the above acts. We will make your family members cry out blood tears from their eyes (Photo taken from Shia News website).
“Punjab Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, recently said that only 100 persons from Pakistan had gone to Syria whereas from other countries thousands of people were going to Syria. The arrested persons have been members of Jamatul Daawa and the women who have gone to Syria are from Al-Huda, a religious seminary for women in Lahore”12.
Differences between Politicians and Military Officials
According to a news report Sardar Asif Ahmed Ali, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan gave a statement on January 6, 2016 that ISIS did not exist in Pakistan [3,4].
On December 29, the national dailies of Pakistan carried a headline with title: ‘Some travel agents are recruiting youth to fight in the Middle East, Senators shock Senate by presenting a report’ The details of the news report are that Senator General Rtd. Abdul Qayyum, while making a speech in the Senate, the Upper House of Pakistani Parliament, demanded action against some travel agents who were recruiting youth for fighting wars in the Middle East, many influential persons and institutions are involved in this business, Genral Abdul Qayyum also said that women were being exported for sex trade. Another Senator Javed Abbasi told the Senate that there were 17 illegal networks involved in exporting youth to the Middle East and these networks are making profits to the tune of 927 million dollars. Senator Azam Hoti and Senator Jahanzeb Jamaluddin also that government departments were also involved in exporting youth to fight in the Middle East and action must be taken against all such persons who were involved in this dirty business13.
A news report of December 30th, 2015 said: “Secret Agency arrested 9 terrorist of ISIS”. The details of the news report said: The antiterrorist squad arrested 9 terrorists from Sialkot who belonged to ISIS. The terrorist also had explosives, weapons, jihadi literatures and CDs and Laptops. The terrorists were from the residential area near Bus Stand of Daska Tehsil of Sialkot District and the group had been running a training camp in the Glonian area of Daska. The arrested terrorists were taken to the unknown place for investigation”14.
On 1st January, 2016, the national dailies of Pakistan carried two opposite news items that further confused the people of Pakistan. One news item on the top of the main pages said: “The Superintendent of Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) in Lahore acting as Regional Coordinator of ISIS”. The details said that Meher Hamed Rana, the Superintendent of FBR was arrested by the secret agencies and taken to an unknown destination for further investigation. He disclosed that he was working as regional coordinator of ISIS, stole data of many federal departments and provided it to ISIS, recruited and sent many persons to Syria to join ISIS, was assisted by his wife Farhana who was responsible for recruiting women to join ISIS as jihadi wives, another women assisting in this work was Halima Aapa. The news report also said that law enforcement agencies were planning operation against banned Lashkar-e-Jhangavi, Hizbul Tahreer, Saut Umma, and Hizbullah, DIG Operations Punjab had confirmed departure of 3 women along with their children to Syria and joining ISIS, these women went via Karachi, Gawadar and Iran15.
Just below the above-mentioned news item, there is an opposing news item, a sort of denial by Foreign Ministry of Pakistan about the existence of ISIS in Pakistan. The News item says: ‘No signs of presence of ISIS in Pakistan, Our secret and law enforcement agencies are highly alert’ Foreign Ministry16.
According an Editorial note ‘Confusion regarding presence of ISIS must be clarified by Government’, of an Urdu national paper Khabrain of 2nd January, 2016, “People seem to have become scared after discovery that ISIS recruits have been arrested from a city like Lahore. The presence of ISIS members in Lahore point out to the seriousness of the situation, but on the other hand, the Pakistani government is constantly refusing the present of the ISIS in the country. The analysts justify denial by government that it does not want to spread panic among people. The government also claims that there are so many members of ISIS in Western countries also; therefore, the presence of ISIS is not a major threat for Pakistan. But this has become very clear now that ISIS has been able to expand its network in Punjab Province of Pakistan. Meher Hamad, a senior official of Federal Bureau of Revenue was arrested recently has been working as head of the ISIS network in Lahore and recruiting men and women. The arrest of ISIS has caused a concern among every Pakistan because Pakistanis know that ISIS is much more dangerous as compared to Taliban. This fact has been admitted by the American President Obama as well that is why billions of dollars in the American budget have been added to eliminate ISIS. ISIS is publishing advertisement in the Media for recruitments and huge salaries of RS. 50,000 are being offered to the jihadis and they are being sent to Afghanistan for training and brainwashing, the situation could go out of hands of the government. An American newspaper has recently disclosed that Al-Qaeda is also reorganizing itself. If God forbid, all these three outfits i.e. Taliban, ISIS and Al-Qaeda get united, they will blow up the whole world. This report is sufficient to prove the presence of ISIS in Pakistan that another force is being recruited by some sectors to crush the ISIS. This group is also offering military training and excellent salaries. This can easily help understand the seriousness of situation in the recent future. Thus the Government of Pakistan must take the presence of ISIS serious because having experienced the creation of Taliban; the Government will not be able to handle the situation. The government has been saying that the borders are not secure so it could not check those who went to Syria to join ISIS. Government must gather information about recruitments, visa, funding, supporters, funding sources, and facilitators of ISIS. There has been news that some bookstalls in Lahore have been displaying ISIS literature as well. No sensible person can deny the presence of ISIS in Pakistan. ISIS has been declared Khwaraj (enemies of Islam) by the Imam-e-Kaba because ISIS is killing human beings brutally. Therefore, government must uproot ISIS before it is too late”17.
National Dailies of January 23rd, 2016 carried a news item on their front pages, which said: ‘Maulana Abdul Aziz a supporter of ISIS, Interior Minister must be sacked, demands Pakistan people’s party’. The details of the news report included: Pakistan people’s party had presented the documentary proofs in the National Assembly that Maulana Abdul Aziz was a supporter of the ISIS. The cases had been lodged against the said Maulana, but Federal Minister had been acting as an attorney of the said Maulana so Federal Interior Minister should be sacked18.
Aftab Sultan, Director General, Intelligence Bureau, Pakistan, on February 10th, 2016, gave a briefing to the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs that ISIS network had been smashed but ISIS still exists in Pakistan and it will take around ten years to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan19.
On 10th February, 2016, a conference of Muslim religious scholars was held in Islamabad. The theme of the Conference was “The Message of Islam Conference”. The speakers admitted the presence of “ISIS in Pakistan and suggested that the ISIS threat could only be tackled with arguments. The Islamic Scholars also admitted that the deviated Muslims like ISIS, Al Qaeda and Taliban were proving to be much more dangerous for the Muslims as compared to the Non-Muslims”20.
The national dailies carried a statement by the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, which said: “No group like ISIS in Pakistan, Foreign office avoids commenting on the DG, Intelligence Bureau” es (Photo taken from Shia News website).
The national dailies of 13 February, 2016 carried the main headline, a statement by the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly that said: “The poor labourers will join ISIS if you snatch the last piece of bread from them”. The statement was given in the background of the efforts of the Government to privatise Pakistan International Airline, the strike by PIA employees and firing on the protesting employees and killing of 3 PIA employees22.
The national papers of Pakistan carried the main headline on the front page containing the statement by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan that said: “The Middle Eastern Group does not exist in Pakistan; some organizations are using the name of ISIS”23.
The national dailies also carried another new item, a statement by Faisal Karim Kundi, a Peoples Party leader and former Deputy of the National Assembly that ISIS does exist in Pakistan and the interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali must wake up and accept the reality instead of denying it24.
The editorial note of Khabrain, a major national daily, on 14th February, 2016 said: “The Army has broken the backbone of the terrorists, but confusing news is being given by the media which have scared the people. The Government is constantly denying the presence of ISIS in the country, but the Director General Intelligence Bureau has admitted the presence of ISIS in Pakistan and the people of Pakistan are really worried that they have been fighting against Taliban and Al Qaeda, and now ISIS has come to the forefront and according to the International Media reports ISIS is the most dangerous terrorist organization of them all. In such a situation, all of us need to have a serious attitude against terrorism”25.
American foreign office has given a political statement on 20th February which says that “America is not aware of the presence of ISIS in Pakistan”26.
The national dailies of January 7th, 2016 broke news which said: “Secret Agencies fails ISIS plan of destroying communicationsystems of secret agencies and TV Channels”. The details said that secret agencies had arrested a software engineer who belonged to ISIS and he was working on a plan to destroy and paralyze communication and data systems of secret agencies and television channels. The arrested criminal has made shocking revelations27.
Again national dailies of 7th January 2016 carried another news item on the front page that said: “Government Girls High School Dinga receives a threat letter from ISIS”. The news report said that District Coordination Officer and the Police was conducting an investigation whether the threat letter was from ISIS or someone had done so just for fun and to create a panic in the area28.
Another news source confirmed this report which said: “International terrorist organization that has also been active in Pakistan ISIS has threatened to close girls’ schools in Punjab. Threatening pamphlets from ISIS have been found in Government Girls High School in Dinga city of Punjab. According to information, when the girls’ school, located in Dinga city of Gujrat district, opened on 5th January, threatening pamphlets were found on which it was written “we are disciples of Osama Bin Laden, close the school otherwise you will be responsible for the loss of one thousand girls, Long Live ISIS”. Police and officials of elite force cordoned off the school immediately after the pamphlets were found and school’s security has been increased whereas the incident has spread fear among students and their parents”
Viewpoint of Critical Analysts
Ayaz Amir in his column “Attractions of the Islamic State” of March 06, 2015 wrote that: “Here is something for the Pakistani privilengentsia to consider. Something like the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham-ISIS or ISIS-would have catastrophic consequences for them, putting an end to their privileged lifestyles or forcing them to flee to the Gulf or western shores. But in the unlikely event of ISIS becoming a force in Pakistan, how would this affect the poor and the down-andout who have nothing to lose?… Break down the gates of privilege and try to create a more just society. But who is interested in this? Politics in Pakistan has become a battle between competing oligarchies and there is not a single damned party speaking for the under-privileged or presenting an alternative to the shopping mall society. Keep on this path and ISIS and the Taliban will not lack for recruits”30.
Another news item on the Front page said: ‘ISIS network was being operated from the City of Okara, Punjab’.
Sharmila Farooqi, Pronvincial Minister for Culture and Tourism Sindh says, “Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan was responsible for implementing National Action Plan to eliminate terrorism, but he has not implemented it. National Counter Terrorism Authority is still inactive, terrorist groups that were declared illegal are still operating with new names, Extremist literature and speeches are continuing to be delivered, special force against terrorist has not been fully active, National Action Plan is not even ten percent implemented, and our interior minister is keeping quite as if he is in a Muraqba (Spiritual Contemplation)”31.
Noor Ahmed Baloch in his article, ‘Can ISIS becomes a dominant jihadi group in Pakistan?’ wrote that “Opinion from around the world fears that the leading religious outfit ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Al- Shams seems to be present in Pakistan. Wall chalking in favour of ISIS has been done in many cities of the country. Furthermore, the agenda of ISIS is to spread Islam in all parts of the globe as the dominant religion. Hundreds of the thousands of Pakistanis advocate this ideology. John Cantlie, who is a British journalist, said in Dabiq magazine that the Islamic State has billions of dollars in the bank, so they call on their wilayah (officials) in Pakistan to purchase a nuclear device through weapon dealers with links to corrupt officials in the region. It should not be underestimated that it is the richest proactive self-styled Islamic State. There is neither the deficit of corrupt officials in Pakistan, nor poverty in ISIS……On the other hand, General John F Campbell, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan has said that the Islamic State is recruiting fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but they are not yet operational. Moreover, in both countries crossing the border illegally is no big deal for both nationals. Weapons, drugs and cars dealing is common in bordereau’s areas of Balochistan… Balochistan has already witnessed what ISIS has done to Yazdi tribe. In 2014 Tanzeemal Islam-ul-Furqan-which is against girls’ education and ‘western style’ education-forcefully shut down at least 35 private schools and 3 0 language centres in the districts of Punjgur and Kech for over a week. ISIS favoured what Tanzeemal Islam-ul-Furqan did. It is to note that the similarities of their agendas can cause the nearness and support for each other in the region.… Secondly there are a number of unregistered madrassas in Pakistan. Training the religious mindset in these madrassas is nothing new. According to Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Khan Durrani, more than 3,000 of the province’s 5,441 madrassas are not registered. “Some 5,330 of the 129,997 students that study in seminaries in Balochistan are foreigners, mostly of Afghan descent. At least 234 madrassas in Balochistan are being funded by Muslim countries specifically by Saudi Arabia. The latter country also finances ISIS. Historically, madrassas have sent their students for jihad in Afghanistan during Afghan war. Suicide attacks within Pakistan are also the invention of the mentioned institutes. The installation of ISIS jihadis can be the next avenue in Pakistan… Thirdly, with the aim of obtaining power and sexual pleasure, (a point already explained on TV channels) possibly the already involved youth join ISIS even in Pakistan. .. If we analyse the research and first-hand experience, one will find that this is what is expected to flow naturally once ISIS installs itself, because most of the involved fighters of ISIS, TTP or others, believe in the militant-interpreted jihadism. This further leads them towards extremism” [5].
According to Wusatullah Khan of BBC, “Interior minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan has been saying since last February (2015) that ISIS does not exist in Pakistan and it will never be allowed to enter in the country. General Rahim Sharif has said more than once that ISIS will not be allowed to enter in Pakistan. Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs said that ISIS does not exist in Pakistan, but we are concerned about the growing influence of ISIS in neighbouring Afghanistan. Qazi Khalilullah, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry also said yesterday that ISIS does not exist in Pakistan and if it ever comes, Pakistan law-enforcement agencies are ready to tackle it. But the Provincial Law Enforcement agencies are not ready to digest the statements of these high level dignitaries. News was also broken on the ISIS website that the Khurasan Branch of ISIS has been launched and Commander Saeed Khan was appointed as the Commander for Pakistan and a Camp for Pakistani Mujahiddeen had also been set up in Iraq. The Provincial Interior Ministry of Baluchistan issued a report last year that local set of ISIS had been created with the support of Lashkar-e-Jhangavi and recruitment of locals from tribal areas adjacent to Baluchistan and Khaibarpakhtun Khawa was on the peak. Provincial Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti admitted the issuance of the said report, but just a few days after that the said report disappeared due to the pressure from Federal Government. A within the Taliban attack on the Army Public School Peshawar, a video of the burqa clad females of the Jamia Hafsa of Lal Masjid Islamabad was witnessed wherein the about a dozen girls were admitting Abubkr Albaghdadi as their Caliph and were inviting Baghdadi to come to Pakistan. Cases were registered against Mauana Abdul Aziz due to his controversial statements, a Court of Law had also declared him absconder, but Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan continued to say that Maulana Abdul Aziz32 had not committed any crime so Government could not arrest him and the situation could get worse by arresting him. Provincial Ministry of Sindh has many times pointed out that the terrorist attacks carried out in Karachi were done by the people who have been influenced by the ideology of ISIS. The Safoora Goth Bus Attack was also carried out by such people. Head of a Private University and three professors of another University have also been arrested on the charges of having links with ISIS. A group of women has also been discovered who was facilitating the recruitments and fund raising for ISIS, this group also had wives of main Terrorist involved in Safoora Goth Bus Attack named Saad Aziz and the funder of this incident Adil Masood But, the head of the Private University. Punjab Police has arrested 8 young men from Sialkot who have joined ISIS. The police said that the ISIS network was being expanded to several districts of Punjab and fund raising was also being done through different means. Punjab Provincial Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also told the press that this gang was in contact with Syria based Amir Muaavia one of the central leaders of the ISIS. The ISIS has rapidly expanded in the Afghan Provinces of Nangarhar and Kunarr and the Radio Khilaphat programmes can be easily listened in the tribal areas of Pakistan adjacent to Afghanistan. Yesterday the Punjab Police confirmed that the 3 women who were reported missing from Lahore and FIRs of their disappearance had been launched have gone to Syria along with their children. The Turkish authorities disclosed three days ago that three main leaders of ISIS had been arrested and two of them were Pakistanis. In this context it is difficult to understand as to why be the Federal Authorities, contrary to the Provincial Authorities, continue to deny the presence of ISIS in Pakistan. Now the last step for the ISIS to make believe its presence in Pakistan is that it should open its offices in markets of Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta and hang sing boards of “ISIS Pakistan Branch” and if the Federal Government still continues to deny then ISIS must apply for its registration un the Companies Act. Only then the existence of ISIS in Pakistan will be accepted by the Federal Government” [6].
According to Shama Junejo, “Let’s talk about the presence of ISIS in Pakistan. We are a nation like an ostrich that hides his head in the sand and believes his that none is seeing it. In the case of presence of Osama bin Laden, President Ghulam Ishaq gave the statement the ‘when I call a duck a hen, then a duck is a hen’, and we thought that Americans or the West trusted us that Osama bin Laden was not present in Pakistan. But we only came to know about Osama bin Laden when the sons of Uncle Sam stole Osama the most wanted terrorist of the world from our heart. I wrote an article in a British Newspaper on 3rd May, 2011 with the title, ‘You must accept that either you did not know about the presence of Osama, or you are incompetent’, and the link to that archive was deleted from the website, but can we erase the stigma of Osama bin Laden from our history by hiding our heads in the sand? Our Army is hunting the terrorists and their facilitators these days, but the British officials ask me, ‘don’t you think who kept Osama bin Laden just a mile away from the Kakool Academy were also facilitating a terrorist? The statement of former Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar is on record that Pakistan knew about the presence of Osama bin Laden’. We don’t even realize the implications of all of this for Pakistan, but we are a nation of ostrich and our attitude about everything is: ‘we don’t care about this’. In January, 2013 also it was admitted about Osama that he was under treatment in a Karachi Hospital, but immediately it was denied with the same force, but in 2015 when a dialogue between Taliban and Afghan Government began, a prominent political personality of our country went to Afghanistan and leaked the news that Mullah Omar had died in the same hospital of Karachi in 2010. This had seriously hurt the arbitrary efforts of Pakistan Army and “Good Taliban” thrashed peace efforts of the US done during the past 15 years. Try to link all the following: The “True Muslim Woman” from Pakistan are dying to become Jihadi Wives of jihadis of ISIS; the Video of girls from Lal Masjid who openly announced Baghdadi as their Caliph and invited him to take over Pakistan; threat hurled at Pakistani Government by Maulana Abdul Aziz who tried to escape in the burqa of his wife; constant denial of ISIS presence by Interior Minister; and the investigation by Agencies that many senior government official like Meher Javed had been stealing Federal information and providing it to ISIS and other terrorist groups.
When Michael Robin or former UK Interior Minister Dr. Liam Folks mentioned in their books that Pakistani Nuclear Programme has access by its 70,000 employees and even if one of them becomes infected by the jihadi mindset then the world is going to face a terribly disastrous situation. In my Ph.D. thesis, I had declared such thoughts as paranoia, but what is the answer to all what is being unearthed by Pakistani agencies regarding ISIS. I feel extremely embarrassed to face English and American Academics while defending my Ph.D. research as to how to scrutinize the government employees and protect them from ISIS poisoning in a situation when the Interior Minister, on the floor of the National Assembly, begins to cry over the death of Pakistan’s enemy number one Hakimullah Mehsud and tell lies regarding the cases against Burqa Maulana (Maulana Abdul Aziz), what else would you expect from other government officials and politicians. White people are asking me: how come that the Pakistani agencies do not know that recruitments of youth are being done for and against ISIS and being sent to Syria via Iran and the married women are leaving their legal husbands and going to Syria with their children to become jihadi wives to become hoors of heaven and are promoting and preaching this “noble cause” to other women in Pakistan through Skype. This is not only limited to Madarass (Islamic Religious Seminaries), but even the University Professors are poisoning the minds of youth. Why our agencies, police, and politicians are not aware of all this? Then why was National Action Plan or NACTA formed? What else is being done for national security except protecting the politicians who are looting the national wealth? Then why West should not say that we are a nation by default, which intentionally or unintentionally loves to promote terrorism. Why all the terrorists arrested in Ankara, London, California and Brussels all turn out to be Pakistanis? Army is doing a lot against terrorism through Zarb-e-Azab, but corrupt politicians are waiting for the retirement of General Rahil so that they can continue their corruption and I am worried about the mindset of the predecessor of the Genera. Why is not General paying any attention to those who are controlling terrorist recruitment networks from the soil of Afghanistan? A few centuries ago fighting for money was done by mercenaries of Europeans, but now our Pakistani youth is fighting for and against ISIS. In a situation whereby our PM is begging illegal profiteers to pay 1% as tax and keep the rest through Tax Amnesty and our Foreign Office constantly denies the present of ISIS in Pakistan as its sacred duty, I see 2016 a very bleak year for Pakistan” [7].
According to Haider Javed Sayyed, “Government officials on every level are constantly denying the presence of ISIS in Pakistan; ISIS agents are being arrested as well and are also migrating to Islamic State set up by ISIS. Do our rulers have any concern for the seriousness of the situation or, by allowing threes recruitments they are providing service to someone? This is an open secret that recruitments for ISIS are being done from 5 districts of Punjab which have been a nursery for a jihadi group. Has some kind of difference erupted in Lashkar-e- Tayyaba and Jamatul Daawah? Hafiz Saeed and his deputies are denying this; in fact they have denounced ISIS philosophy as anti- Islam. But this is shocking that the arrests made from Central Punjab during the past a year and half, and particularly during the past 3 months are the people who were part of Lashkar-e-Tayyabah. This is an alarming situation. Secondly, there were reports that Al-Hudda Islamic Centers for females have been preaching and promoting certain mindset. Secret Agencies were aware of Jamia Hafsa of Islamabad associated with Lal Masjid and its branches in Taxila and Mughalpura, Lahore, but why were they ignored? State is closing its eyes to the rapid expansion of religious centres for women. The same mistake is being repeated which was made regarding the expansion of religious seminaries. No action was taken against religious seminaries because they were providing funds and manpower to Taliban. Pakistan is constantly told that ISIS does not exist in Pakistan. But Pakistani were not clearly told that Punjab Police held an encounter with terrorists of ISIS at Raiwind, and then arrests were made from Okara, Kasur, Pakpattan, Shahdara Lahore, and recently from Sialkot, Pasroor, Gujranwala during the last 15 days. Yousuf Salfi was arrested from Shahdara Lahore who was local agent for ISIS. The video of girls of Lal Masjid wherein they accepted Baghdadi as their Caliph and Lal Masjid was said to be the first branch of ISIS in Pakistan. But denial of Interior and Foreign Ministries continues. According to some analysts, PML(N) Government is intentionally closing its eyes to the expansion of ISIS in the country to that accounts could be settled with Pakistan Army for launching an operation against Taliban that is why National Action Plan is not being launched in Punjab. Three jihadi organizations are said to be the main sources of ISIS recruitments i.e. Lashkar-e-Tayyabah, Jamatul Daawah and Lashkar-e-Jhangavi, but Government has not bothered to keep a watch on these three groups and their male and female religious seminaries. Every common man knows that forces which are fighting a proxy war in Syria are hiring man power from Pakistan, but or government continues to deny it. A recent report says that Albadr Mujahideen33of Khaibar Pakhtoonkhawa is recruiting jihadis for ISIS in Afghanistan. Recently 71 dead bodies of men recruited from Deir were sent back to their native villages” [8].
A news report in Khabrain Daily titled ‘Master Mind of Safoor Goth attack from Karachi, ISIS head in Punjab from Islamabad and prominent ISIS commander arrested from Lahore’, said that ‘ISIS was being cordoned off all over Pakistan, Umair Kathio a former member of Al Qaeda who had joined ISIS was arrested from Karachi and had master minded the Safoora Goth Attack in Karachi in which many men, women and children of Ismaili Community had died. Umair Kathia was formerly a facilitator of Al Qaeda and joined ISIS and established a terrorist network in Karachi. The agencies have arrested Abdullah Mansoor is ISIS head in Punjab and has been arrested from Islamabad, who has trained and dispatched several people to Syria to join ISIS. Abdullah Mansoori is another central commander of ISIS and has been arrested from Lahore and shifted to Islamabad”34.
Another news item on the front page of the same newspaper on the same date carried that critical statement by Sayyed Pervez Ali Shah, the Leader of the Opposition said that ISIS had been recruiting jihadis under the nose of Punjab Government and the Federal Government has concentrated all energies to make arrests of PPP Politicians in the Province of Sindh”35.
Sarfraz Sayyed, another analyst, in his article titled “32 Intelligence Agencies”, in Daily Ausaf of January 1, 2016 wrote: “Every Government official Minister constantly said that ISIS does not exist in Pakistan, but suddenly news comes that ISIS has spread up to Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot and ISIS members have been arrested from Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot and gangs of these ISIS are being arrested and no single men, a gang of educated women has been arrested from Karachi which was doing fund raising and recruitments for ISIS, 9 ISIS members have been arrested from Sialkot and other cities, and so far so that women and children of 4 families from Lahore and Sahiwal have reached ISIS camps in Syria and are getting military training. Late General Hamid Gul had once told me that there were 16 secret agencies in Pakistan. Just before his death he gave a statement that there were 32 secret agencies active in the country. General Gul had been ISI chief so his information cannot be wrong. Thus 32 secret agencies could not discover the entry and spread of ISIS in Pakistan. Luckily a woman from Lahore disappeared from her home, she told her husband that she was going to Kasur36, then she phone that she was in Baluchistan. Her husband suspected that she had been kidnapped so he approached the police, police began investigation and it was discovered many women, girls and boys had disappeared and had reached Syria. Our secret agencies were taken aback. A man was arrested from Sialkot in some crime and during the thorough investigation he admitted that he was an ISIS member. Nine other people arrested from different cities on the basis of information given by him. The investigation also revealed that a whole centre had been set up in a village in the suburbs of Sialkot for the purpose of recruitments for ISIS. A huge quantity of literature, banners, posters, pamphlets of ISIS was also discovered from there. This huge existence of ISIS could not be discovered by 32 agencies, but arrested and other discoveries of ISIS are just accidental”37.
Khabrain a national Urdu Daily from Lahore wrote in its Editorial note: “Secret Agencies have registered cases under Anti-Terrorist Act against 30 people of a family from different parts of Lahore including Hanjarwal, Township, Wahdat Colony, on charges of having connections with ISIS. These 30 people have reached Syria to join for military training from ISIS. Another 8 persons have been arrested from Sialkot. …. The Islamic Scholars have denounced ISIS as anti- Islam and its ideology as the teachings of Islam. This anti-Islam group has been created by the enemies of Islam i.e. America and Israel… We hope that our secret agencies will be able to unearth and eliminate all elements related to ISIS from Pakistan. But this is an important question as to why has ISIS been able to enter into Pakistan and preach its ideology? So was possible because our religious scholars did not play an effective role to denounce ISIS ideology. The most important to denounce extremism and promote inter-faith harmony should be played by the Mosque leadership. On the one had our Government and our law-enforcement agencies have to nab all the elements that are working or have connections with ISIS and on the other hand our religious leadership must play an active role to denounce extremism and ISIS activities and promote a culture of inter-faith harmony, particularly through their Friday Sermons”38.
Zulfiqar Chaudhry, in his column titled: “Qaum ka muqadar kb badlay ga?” (When shall the fate of the Nation change?), in Daily Khabrain of 18 January, 2016 wrote t: “The true leadership of civilized nations keeps an eye on the past, present and future whereas our leadership, on the one hand, cannot even see the presence of ISIS anywhere in the country, on the other hand, however, the persons working for ISIS are also constantly being arrested” [9]. According to Asrar Ayub: “There is a need to launch a grand movement for elimination of extremism and terrorism wherein the whole nation has to be united and this is not possible unless we have a same view on terrorism as a nation, but our problem is that our country which calls itself “Fort of Islam” and wherefrom the girls of a religious seminary are being exported to Syria, we as journalists cannot write about this issue and such news are killed immediately and the terrorists are eulogized by many writers and politicians and these writers and politicians do not feel ashamed while doing this” [10]. Haider Javed Sayyed, in his column “Sir, ISIS Threat is Increasing” (Daily Khabrain of 27th January, 2016, wrote that, “At last the Interior Ministry has admitted that ISIS does exist in Pakistan… but they have not admitted the full truth. The members of banned jihadi groups are joining ISIS for RS. 30,000 to 50,000 per month, the other attraction are: a new war front where plenty of Syrian beautiful girls and many from other part of the world to become Jihadi wives, and according to the new decree of Muradul Najeeb Basri which says a jihadi can say nikah three times when he likes a woman and that woman will become his wife. More than 800 former members of banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayyabah have joined ISIS. Indian citizen Saeed Alam is acting as a coordinator in Kurram Agency for banned jihadi groups of Pakistan. The people who had been working as facilitators for Taliban in the past are not working as facilitators for ISIS. The truth of the matter is that ISIS has established its network in Pakhtun areas neighbouring Afghanistan and this network is spread over up to Baluchistan. These new recruits of ISIS are being trained for Afghanistan and not for Syria… The manifest function of the new recruits is preaching of Islam during the winter and wage war when spring sets in…The investigations against ISIS in Punjab is being done half-heartedly. The religious seminaries of Pakistan that were recruiting personnel and doing fund raising for Taliban are now doing the same work for ISIS. ISIS is present in all the four provinces of Pakistan and not only in Punjab and Khaibar Pakhtunkhwah. People of all the four Provinces will have to be united against ISIS and other terrorist groups… Masud Azhar had been undermining the security of Pakistan through his terrorist activities against India, but he is being presented as an innocent… this shows that the present generation of Muslims who attacked India a thousand years ago, still love to carry on jihad for looting wealth and women of India. Why was an individual like Masur Azhar allowed to set up a jihadi group. A Joint Investigation Team should be formed to invstigate about the ISIS and it should focus its investigation in the Province of Punjab. The facilitators and coordinators of ISIS and other banned jihadi groups are part of the Punjab Government that is why any major action could not be taken against these jihadi groups and Col. Shuja Pash who tried to implement National Action Plan against terrorists was murdered. No strict action will ever be taken against terrorists unless Shehbaz Sharif (Chief Minister Punjab) and Rana Sanaullah (Interior and Law Minister of Punjab Government) are part of the Government”39.
According to a news report by Tom Bachelor, ‘FEARS are growing that depraved Islamic State (ISIS) militants could obtain a nuclear weapon from Pakistan’: “Afzal Ashraf, a former senior officer in the RAF, said Pakistan was "the most likely place" for ISIS to obtain a nuclear explosive. He argued that the organization, which has declared a 'caliphate' in Iraq and Syria after gaining vast swathes of territory, was now enjoying "success in getting support" in a region at the heart of Pakistan's nuclear programme. Its growing nuclear arsenal raises the risk that the deadly weapons or the ingredients used to construct them - enriched uranium or plutonium-could fall into the hands of ISIS. It follows comments by the Australian foreign minister that ISIS has already obtained enough radioactive material to produce a dirty bomb. Julie Bishop raised fears the savage group, which releases almost daily videos of public hearings, could be working towards manufacturing a nuclear device. ISIS is "prepared to use any and all means, any and all forms of violence they can think of, to advance their demented cause", she said”40.
Mukhtar Aaqil, in his colum, “Signs of Time’ of January 25th January, 2016 wrote that: “Bad governance and inabilities of the Pakistani rulers has destroyed every institution and department, criminals are being recruited in the police, mafias are becoming powerful, in a situation wherein the government departments have become criminalized, then it is natural that groups like Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS are roaming freely in the country”41.
Haider Javed Sayyed, in his column titled ‘The Story of Uzair Baluch42 and some Bitter Questions’ criticized the government of Pakistan for not putting its hands on the real criminals and wrote that: “Government is so week that it cannot put its hands on the staff and students of the religious seminary in the middle of the Federal Capital, who are dying to hug Albaghdadi of ISIS and this seminary is owned by a mullah who killed an Army Colonel and 11 soldiers of Pakistan Army and the Federal Interior Minister is acting as an attorney for this Mullah” [11].
In his article titled, ‘United and Determined Arab and Disintegrating Middle East’, Mohyuddin bin Ahmed Deen has written that, “50 fighter of ISIS have been killed during the last 2 weeks, which included 20 Iranians and 30 were Afghan and Pakistanis”43.
General Rtd. Ghulam Mustafa in his column “Paper Projects” published in Daily Khabrain of 13th February, 2016 wrote that: “Pakistan is in a situation of war. The war that I am pointing towards is the war that the political parties of Pakistan have waged against the Armed Forces of Pakistan. Army is fighting against terrorists and expects support from all sectors in this war against terrorists, but the ground reality is just the opposite. All the political parties are trying to present Army Chief as the enemy of democracy. …Army Chief is fighting against the terrorists alone, but political leadership is trying to take the credit of the successes against terrorists… Why is government constantly denying the presence of ISIS in Pakistan. Ultimately Director General Intelligence Bureau had to open his mouth in the Senate to admit the presence of ISIS in the country. Why is political leadership avoiding naming the terrorist groups fearlessly? Why is political leadership tolerating all the elements that financially support and facilitate the terrorists? This shows the lack of commitment and efforts on the part of political leadership. If Army Chief General Rahim Sharif fails to eliminate terrorists during his service tenure (next 10 months) then this will not the failure of the Pakistan Army, but the process of destruction of Pakistan will be expedited and this will only happen because the corrupt democracy which is only working to protect the business interests of the corrupt political leadership would have won against the national interests and Pakistan Army”44.
General Rtd. Zahid Mubashar in his column ‘Terrorism’ published in Daily Khabrain of 17th February, 2016 wrote that: “It will be much easier for Pakistan Army to tackle terrorists if Prime Minister begins to fully support Law and Justice. Time is passing fast, and PM has not been so far sure weather ISIS exists in Pakistan or not. The head of the largest civil secret service (Intelligence Bureau) says that he has smashed the network of ISIS, but his boss, the interior minister continues to claim that ISIS does not exist in Pakistan at all. The dilemma is that the boss of both of them, the Prime Minister continues to be silent. The silence of the PM is conciliatory and intentional. Why can’t these three personalities discuss the issue of presence of ISIS in the country so that nation could be informed about the facts and mentally prepared for a long-term war?”45.
Factors of Growing Popularity of ISIS
According to Munir Akram, former Pakistan Ambassador to the UN, “A more comprehensive effort will be required to defeat the narrative and ideology of IS and other ‘violent” extremists’ a strategy encompassing the just settlement of disputes involving Muslims; rapid economic and social development; an end to the alienation of Muslim youth in western countries; and the elimination of Islamophobia. This is a ‘long war’ which must be waged to restored stability in the Middle East and avoid a clash of civilizations”46.
According to Charles Kurzman, “And ISIS is furious about how small these numbers are their online magazine, Dabiq, rails against the "deviant" Muslims of the West who worship "the idol of democracy" and "seek to portray Islam as a religion of peace that teaches Muslims to coexist with all”47.
Kurzman goes on to say: “If ISIS doesn't stop its social media campaign, we threaten to do serious damage to our principles of civil liberties and religious freedom. Of course, that is what ISIS wants -- they are hoping that the West will overreact so badly that Muslims will abandon their commitment to coexistence and join the revolution"48.
According to Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish expert on Islamic History, “The recent massacres in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., demonstrated, once again, the so-called Islamic State’s ability to win over disaffected Muslims. Using a mixture of textual literalism and selfrighteous certainty, the extremist group is able to persuade young men and women from Pakistan to Belgium to pledge allegiance to it and commit violence in its name. This is why the Islamic State’s religious ideology needs to be taken seriously. While it’s wrong to claim that the group’s thinking represents mainstream Islam, as Islamophobes so often do, it’s also wrong to pretend that the Islamic State has “nothing to do with Islam,” as many Islamophobia-wary Muslims like to say. Indeed, jihadist leaders are steeped in Islamic thought and teachings, even if they use their knowledge to perverse and brutal ends. A good place to start understanding the Islamic State’s doctrine is by reading Dabiq, the digital English-language magazine that the group puts out every month. One of the most striking pieces I have seen in it was an 18-page article in March titled “Irja’: The Most Dangerous Bid’ah,” or heresy…….. In its condemnation of irja, the Islamic State also targets these lenient Muslims. They are the ones, Dabiq notes, who “made Islam into a mere claim having no reality.” They must be reminded that “Allah’s mercy and forgiveness is not an excuse to commit sins”49.
Auranzeb Qureshi in his column in ‘Will Pakistan is able to tackle terrorist network’ wrote that “Extremism in FATA is pushing Pakistan into sectarian terrorist. The sectarian violence has increased in some regions of Pakistan during the past few years and particularly the members of Hazara community were the main target. Now since ISIS has also entered in Pakistan in addition to the other extremist terrorist organizations already present in Pakistan, so the dangers of terrorism have increased many folds for Pakistan and other countries”50.
In his column, ‘The Honey Trap of Agencies’, Wajahat Ali Khan has written, “If Iran can train and supply arms and funding to a Shia organization to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan, and if Iran can send fighter to Syria to fight then why is it a crime if some people go to Syria to fight against ISIS” [12].
According to Malik Achakzai, “A propaganda radio show run by the Islamic State can be heard in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, and there are fears that the transmission would help the terrorist group find new recruits in Pakistan. The two hour long daily transmission named ‘Caliphate Radio’ is mostly a guide to joining the group that calls itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS), or just the Islamic State. It is not clear where the program airs from, but there were reports of similar radio transmissions in eastern Afghanistan, especially from near the Jalalabad city in the Nangarhar province. ISIS has presence in 25 provinces of Afghanistan, according to a United Nations report, and may head south towards the key cities of Helmand and Kandahar, where poppy cultivation and black money could help strengthen its organizational structure. There are deep worries in Pakistan about the likely presence and influence ISIS in the country and security officials and analysts say the FM radio transmission being heard in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could spread the same fear in northern Pakistan as it caused in the Nangarhar and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan”51.
Analysis
Forty (40) secret agencies, (according to one source there are 150 secret agencies in Pakistan) Police, Armed forces, what are they doing? They are all involved in corruption and enjoying different brands of whisky in their drawing rooms army wants people to join ISIS so they do not join Taliban and the headache for Pakistan is lessened.
Shuaib Aadil of Naya Zamana Monthly Magazine was 2012 picked up by secret agencies for conducting research on the activities of ISIS, was tortured, and then left the country.
Recruitments for providing Saudi demands
According to Thomas Hegghammer, “There are two fundamental reasons for this situation. The first is that many states, including in the West, support the same side of the conflict that the Sunni foreign fighters are joining. This geopolitical configuration makes it politically difficult for both departure and transit countries to stem the flow with repressive means. In most previous conflicts, such as post-9/11 Afghanistan, Iraq, or Somalia, foreign fighters were joining the "wrong" side. Now they are on the "right" side, as they also were-guess when?-in 1980s Afghanistan. Popular support for foreign fighting in Syria is especially strong in the Sunni Muslim world, where mainstream clerics such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi have been allowed by their governments to publicly urge people to go and fight in Syria”52.
In Pakistan’s case it is clearly understandable that majority of population is Sunni and very supportive of Saudi Arabia and very much in favour of sending armies to the Saudi Arabia to fight against Houthi Tribes and ISIS.
The concept of jihad bil nikah
Women are brain washed that they will go straight to heaven by participating in jihad through becoming a jihadi wife of a mujahid. Secondly women want to have a different kind of sexual experience and enjoyment, thirdly they can make a lot of money in a short span of time, fourthly they can give birth to a child of a Mujahid who is fight a holy war for Allah’s sake and who has a confirmed seat in heaven.
The Conference of Muslim Religious Scholars held in Islamabad issued a statement that: “The evil of ISIS needs to be fought with arguments, education and the message of Islam”53.
Faisal Durrani, in his article titled ‘Miss Leading” Daily Khabrain, February, 12, 2016 wrote that: “The recruitment of women in the terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and ISIS in the name of Islam is creating problems for the Law-enforcement agencies. Recently a group of women was arrested from Karachi, which was motivating innocent girls to become wives of jihadi fighter of terrorist groups. One of them was wife of Khalid Bari who was running a religious seminary of women and was doing the brainwashing of girls by showing them videos of ISIS and creating sympathies for ISIS fighters to convince these girls to get married to such dangerous members of ISIS”54.
Faisal Durrani has analyzed the historical factors of women marrying ISIS fighter and becoming their jihadi wives. He says that: “A companion of the Prophet Mohammed came to him and request that she had been sent to him by a group of women to complain that you only pick up men to fight holy wars. The men get many benefits of fight holy war-if they win war, they are blessed and get a share in the looted wealth from the enemy territories, if they die in the war, and they go to heaven and get 70 beautiful women and enjoy all the luxuries of Heaven and get eternal life and blessings of Allah. Why women are denied these opportunities and compelled to serve only their husbands? The Prophet Mohammed replied that she should go and tell those women that they should continue to serve their husbands and their rewards and blessings will be equal to participation in the jihad/ holy war. The ISIS terrorists are taking advantage of this character of women and miss leading them to join jihad by marrying jihadi fighters. ISIS has not respected the honour of women. Our women must stay away from ISIS trap. ISIS is using women in suicide bombing of mosques in Iraq and Syria. ISIS has repeatedly issued statements that they are taking women as slaves. This action of ISIS is against the spirit of Qurran. Therefore, those women who have been trapped by ISIS must run away from ISIS trap and those women who are motivating innocent girls to marry ISIS jihadis should be exposed”55.
Mutta marriage
The concept of jihad-Bil-Nikah is also supported by the concept of Mutta in Islam. Mutta is a marriage for a certain period agreed between parties, the man and the woman. The man tells the woman that he wants to marry her for a certain period of time. For instance Mr. A goes to USA, meets a woman and tells here that he is in the USA for a year on a business trip or for a job and that he wants to marry that woman for a period of a year. They agree upon certain terms and conditions regarding provision of needs of the woman and also regarding care and needs of the children born out of that wedlock and enter into a contract of marriage for a period of one year. Mutta marriage can be for any duration of time agreed between the both parties. This concept is more common among the Shia sect of Islam, but many Sunnis are also adopting it in many parts of the world.
Unemployment, poverty, inflation caused by corruption of the ruling elite
The corrupt ruling elite has been looting the national wealth for the past 68 years and the masses of Pakistan have only got poverty, unemployment, hunger, inflation, miseries and destitution. Currently there are more than 20 million unemployed youth in the country. Thus a job offered by ISIS at RS. 50000 per month is a very attractive offer for a young man dying with poverty and hunger.
A way out for freedom from oppressive culture
Pakistani or even Asian societies are very oppressive societies wherein women do not have freedom to live their lives. They do not have freedom to decide about their education, most girls are not allowed to go to schools. Fifty per cent are disallowed to go to schools. Most women, even educated ones, are not allowed to take up a job. Ninety-Five percent girls with their M.A. from Universities and MBBS are not allowed to take up a job after their marriages. Most girls are not allowed to choose their life partner. Most of the women do not have any powers to decide about their family size.
Thus many women want freedom from their oppressive culture and going to Syria and Iraq as jihadi wives is a good option to get rid of this oppressive culture.
Passion to die in a holy war (jihad) for going to Heaven
The concept of Heaven in Islam is such an attractive one that a Muslim man or woman will do anything or everything to go to heaven and dying in a jihad is the best way to confirm entry into the heaven. The heaven according to Islam is an eternal live with all the physical pleasures and enjoyments. Every man who goes to heaven will get the most luxurious life style that one can think of. He will get 70 most beautiful women, heaven fruits, honey, milk, and heavenly vine. The women who go to heaven will get handsome young boys.
Greed for Mal-e-ghaneemat (booty)
Men and women get mal-e-ghaneemat, the looted wealth from the conquered enemies and the women and slaves as part of looted wealth. This greed forces many to join a jihad.
Thrill and excitement for adventurism
Travelling to foreign lands, fighting a war, seeing new people, interaction and enjoyment with beautiful women has a lot of attraction and excitement.
Easy way out to fulfill sexual lust
Pakistani culture is a very oppressive culture with segregation of sexes. Falling in love and having a love affair is a crime in many areas and especially for women it is a major sin. So, going away from this oppressive culture and away from homes, families, relatives who are your greatest enemies when it comes to having a love affair, has a lot of attraction for men and women of Pakistani society.
Implications
Severity of Shia Sunni conflict will increase: Shia Sunni conflict will further become severe.
There will be increase in the Jihad business and war economy.
There is going to be increase in Religious Extremism, Intolerance and Terrorism.
Dangers and threats to instability and security to Pakistan as a state will be escalated.
Law and order will become worse.
Live for Minorities, women and smaller sects of Muslims will become further miserable.
Conclusion
The recruitments for ISIS have been going on in Pakistan for the past more than 4 years.
But the government has been denying the presence of ISIS in Pakistan. The Foreign and Interior Ministries have been constantly denying the presence and activities of ISIS in Pakistan.
Law Enforcement agencies have arrested many people from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot who were associated with ISIS networks. Men have been recruited as jihadis and women as jihadi wives to provide the sexual needs of fighters fighting in Syria and Iraq.
Many women got divorce from their Pakistani husbands and went to marry a Mujahid of ISIS for a certain period, came back gave birth to the child of Mujahid, and remarried their former husband.
All of this is being done to obtain heaven and money because ISIS was paying something around RS. 50,000 to 60,000 per month to every warrior, which is a hefty amount for an unemployed youth suffering in unemployment, poverty and inflation.
Pakistani law enforcement agencies have behaved like a silent bystander on the issue.
This is an unofficial channel of providing soldiers to provide the Saudi demands for fighters to fight on the behalf of Saudi armies in Yemen and Syria?
The dream to set up a worldwide Islamic rule under one Caliph has become a major threat to the existence of human civilization and particularly for the Islamic world.
Recommendation
The double game by law-enforcements should be stopped.
The policy of constantly telling lies to the public should be stopped by the government and politicians if they want to gain any respect and credibility in the eyes of the people of Pakistan.
Any person trying to recruit for ISIS or forming his own jihadi group should be punished strictly so this trend could be stopped because only state has a right to form and keep army and this prerogative is only for the State.
Religious extremism should be discouraged and moderation and enlightenment should be promoted.
1ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, in Arabic the name is DAESH (Daulat al Islamia al Iraq w Sham).
2In Islam, Jihad is holy war for Allah and jihadi or Mujahid is the person who fights a holy war for Allah. Mujahideen is a plural of Mujahid.
3Jihad is holy war, Jihad-bil-Nikah means participation of women in holy war by getting married to a man who is a jihadi or a holy warrior. Jihad-bil-Nikah is a recent concept given by ISIS, the literal meaning is participation in jihad by marriage. The women are told that if they marry a fighter and provide him sexual needs, they get equal benefits like fighters as if they were fighting in a jihad.
4Pakistani Establishment refers to Military and Civil Bureaucracy, for these two sectors are the real power controllers and power brokers.
5Writer is has used pictures from different sources including The Express UK, The Nation Pakistan, The News Pakistan and Google.com.
6“Why the Current Approach Against ISIS Will Fail”, By Scott Ritter, Reader Supported News 03 October 14.
8“ISIS Placed Explosive Mines in copies of Koran”, Daily Mail and Daily Khabrain, 27th February, 2016, P.3.
9“ISIS decides to behead a boy for listening Western Music” Daily Khabrain Lahore, February 21, 2016.
10“Afghan Enemies of ISIS”, by Seyyed Abdullah Nazami, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 24th February, 2016, opinion pages.
12“ISIS will not be allowed to take roots in Pakistan” a statement by Punjab Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Daily Ausaf, Multan, p. 8.
13‘Some travel agents are recruiting youth to fight in the Middle East, Senators shock Senate by presenting a report’ Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 29th December, 2015, Headline on P. 3.
15“The Superintendent of Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) in Lahore acting as Regional Coordinator of ISIS”. Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 1st January, 2016, Front Page.
16‘No signs of presence of ISIS in Pakistan, Our secret and law enforcement agencies are highly alert’ Foreign Ministr’. ibid.
17”Confusion regarding present of ISIS must be clarified by Government”, Editorial Note, Khabrain Daily, 2nd January, 2016, Lahore, Pakistan, Editorial and Opinion Pages.
18‘Maulana Abdul Aziz a supporter of ISIS, Interior Minister must be sacked, demands Pakistan People’s Party’, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 23rd January, 2016, Front page.
19“DG, IB admits presence of ISIS, will take ten years to eliminate terrorism from the country, Senate Committee told” news report, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, February 11th, 2016, Front page.
20“Muslims Scholars conference recommends competing ISIS Threat with arguments”, news report, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, February 11th, 2016, P.3.
21“No group like ISIS in Pakistan, Foreign office avoids commenting on the DG, Intelligence Bureau, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, February 12th, 2016, Front Page.
22“The poor labourers will join ISIS if you snatch the last piece of bread from them”, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 13 February, 2016, main headline on the Front Page.
23“The Middle Eastern Group does not exist in Pakistan, some organizations are using the name of ISIS”, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 14 February, 2016, Front page.
24“ISIS exists in Pakistan, Interior Minister must wake up”, Daily Express, Rahim Yar Khan, 14 February, 2016, p.8.
25“The Survival of Pakistan Lies in the Complete Elimination of Terrorism”, Editorial Note, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 14 February, 2016, Editorial & Opinion page.
26“America is not aware of the presence of ISIS in Pakistan”, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, February 21, 2016, P.3
27“Secret Agencies fails ISIS plan of destroying communication systems of secret agencies and TV Channels”. Daily Khabrain, Lahore, January 7th, 2016, Front page.
28“Government Girls High School Dinga receives a threat letter from ISIS”, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 7th January, 2016, Front Page.
30“Attractions of the Islamic State” by Ayaz Amir, Daily the News, Karachi, March 06, 2015, Opinion Pages.
31“Mr. Chauhdry, what is keeping you silent” by Sharmila Farooqi, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 26 January, 2016, Opinion pages.
32Maulana Abdul Aziz is the same who had taken Lal Masjid under siege along with his brother Maulana Abdul Rashid, Maulana Abdul Rashid was killed in the incident and Maulana Abdul Aziz had escaped under a burqa (cover dress used by Muslim women).
34‘Master Mind of Safoor Goth attack from Karachi, ISIS head in Punjab from Islamabad and prominent ISIS commander arrested from Lahore’, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, January 4, 2016, Front Page.
37“32 Intelligence Agencies”, by Sarfaraz Syyed, Daily Ausaf, 1st January, 2016, Multan, Opinion page.
38“Presence of ISIS in Pakistan, Religious Sector must play positive role”, Editorial Note in Khabrain Urdu Daily, Lahore, January 1, 2016, Editorial and Opinion Page.
39“Sir, ISIS Threat is Increasing”, by Haider Javed Sayyed, Daily Khabrain, Multan, 27th January, 2016, Opinion page.
40‘FEARS are growing that depraved Islamic State (ISIS) militants could obtain a nuclear weapon from Pakistan’ By Tom Bachelor published: 18:51, Tue, Jun 30, 2015.
42Uzair Baluch is a former member of Pakistan Peoples Party, he has been a gangster and reportedly committed hundreds of murders and other crimes on the instructions of Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir’s husband and former president of Pakistan. Uzair Baloch has been arrested and currently under investigation in the custody of Pakistan Ranger.
43‘United and Determined Arab and Disintegrating Middle East’, by Mohyuddin bin Ahmed Deen, Daily Ausaf, Multan, 16th February, 2016, Opinion pages.
44“Paper Projects” by General Rtd. Ghulam Mustafa, Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 13th February, 2016, Opinion pages.
45‘Terrorism’, by General Rtd. Zahid Mubashar Daily Khabrain, Lahore, 17th February, 2016, Opinion pages.
46“Defeating IS” by Munir Akram, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, DAWN Daily, December 27, 2015, Karachi, Editorial P.8
47“America is Holding Itself Hostage to Terrorism”, by Charles Kurzman, The World Post, December 17, 2015.
50‘Will Pakistan be able to tackle terrorist network’ by Aurangzeb Qureshi, originally published in Aljazeera, and Urdu Translation published in Daily Urdu Duniya, Lahore, January 24th, 2016, opinion pages.
53“The evil of ISIS needs to be fought with arguments, education and the message of Islam”, Daily Khabrain, February, 11, 2016, p. 3.
References
- Kamal M (2015) ISIS in Pakistan. The Nation Lahore.
- Akyol M (2016) How politics has poinsoned Islam. New York Times.
- Nazami SA (2016) Afghan enemies of ISIS. Daily Khabrain, Lahore.
- Ahmed Ali SA (2016) ISIS does not exist in Pakistan, none has any details of its agents in Pakistan. Ausaf Daily, Lahore.
- Baloch NA (2016) Can ISIS become a dominant jihadi group in Pakistan?. Daily Times, Lahore.
- Khan W (2016) ISIS should open its office in Pakistan. Daily Khabrain, Lahore.
- Junejo S (2016) DAESH in Pakistan. Daily Khabrain, Lahore.
- Syyed HJ (2016) Ever increasing friends of ISIS. Daily Khabrain, Multan.
- Chaudhry Z (2016) Qaum ka muqadar kb badlay ga? (When shall the fate of the Nation change?). Daily Khabrain, Lahore.
- Ayub A (2016) From Army Public School to Bacha Khan University. Daily Khabrain, Lahore.
- Sayyed HJ (2016) The story of Uzair Baluch and some bitter questions. Daily Khabrain, Multan.
- Khan WA (2016) The honey trap of agencies. Daily Khabrain, Lahore.
- https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/isis-in-pakistan-a-critical-analysis-of-factors-and-implications-of-isisrecruitments-and-concept-of-jihadbilnikah-2151-6200-1000276.php?aid=90682
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