Saudi Arabia, UAE financing extremism in south Punjab
A boy reads verses of the Quran, while studying in a madrassah, January 11, 2011. — Photo by AP/File (Thumbnail illustration by Faraz Aamer Khan/Dawn.com)
KARACHI: A US official in a cable sent to the State Department stated that “financial support estimated at nearly 100 million USD annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith clerics in south Punjab from organisations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments.”
The cable sent in November 2008 by Bryan Hunt, the then Principal Officer at the US Consulate in Lahore, was based on information from discussions with local government and non-governmental sources during his trips to the cities of Multan and Bahawalpur.
Quoting local interlocutors, Hunt attempts to explain how the “sophisticated jihadi recruitment network” operated in a region dominated by the Barelvi sect, which, according to the cable, made south Punjab “traditionally hostile” to Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith schools of thought.
Hunt refers to a “network of Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith mosques and madrassahs” being strengthened through an influx of “charity” which originally reached organisations “such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Al-Khidmat foundation”. Portions of these funds would then be given away to clerics “in order to expand these sects’ presence” in a relatively inhospitable yet “potentially fruitful recruiting ground”.
Outlining the process of recruitment for militancy, the cable describes how “families with multiple children” and “severe financial difficulties” were generally being exploited for recruitment purposes. Families first approached by “ostensibly ‘charitable’” organisations would later be introduced to a “local Deobandi or Ahl-i-Hadith maulana” who would offer to educate the children at his madrassah and “find them employment in the service of Islam”. “Martyrdom” was also “often discussed”, with a final cash payment to the parents. “Local sources claim that the current average rate is approximately Rs 500,000 (approximately USD 6,500) per son,” the cable states.
Children recruited would be given age-specific indoctrination and would eventually be trained according to the madrassah teachers’ assessment of their inclination “to engage in violence and acceptance of jihadi culture” versus their value as promoters of Deobandi or Ahl-i-Hadith sects or recruiters, the cable states.
Recruits “chosen for jihad” would then be taken to “more sophisticated indoctrination camps”. “Locals identified three centres reportedly used for this purpose”. Two of the centres were stated to be in the Bahawalpur district, whereas one was reported as situated “on the outskirts of Dera Ghazi Khan city”. These centres “were primarily used for indoctrination”, after which “youths were generally sent on to more established training camps in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and then on to jihad either in FATA, NWFP, or as suicide bombers in settled areas”.
The cable goes on to quote local officials criticising the PML-N-led provincial and the PPP-led federal governments for their “failure to act” against “extremist madrassas, or known prominent leaders such as Jaish-i-Mohammad’s Masood Azhar”. The Bahawalpur district nazim at the time told Hunt that despite repeatedly highlighting the threat posed by extremist groups and indoctrination centres to the provincial and federal governments, he had received “no support” in dealing with the issue unless he was ready to change his political loyalties. The nazim, who at the time was with the PML-Q, “blamed politics, stating that unless he was willing to switch parties…neither the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz provincial nor the Pakistan People’s Party federal governments would take his requests seriously”.
Cable referenced: WikiLeaks # 178082.
sending money from UAE to Pakistan is not the only one matter of concern,UAE is the biggest jump board for clandestine activities being used by the western world against complete Muslim world.As for as Saudi Arabia is concern it has to act on his master's voice but lets see for how long.
BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese military accused the U.S. on Friday of launching a global "Internet war" to bring down Arab and other governments, redirecting the spotlight away from allegations of major online attacks on Western targets originating in China.
discuss two factors, either Pakistanies along NW boarders and South Punjab have recently convertered to Islam or they got illusion that they were not actually Muslim and now they started killing Muslims in Pak and Afghanistan. If this is not true then discuss the third option, they are being paid, by someone,somewhere who using them a bait at the cost of few dollars.
Thanks for bringing it up, the world needs to wake up, the poor people are being humiliated by the rich, the poor are tool of war, if it goes like this, there are more poor on the earth who will learn to earn by robbing, killing and chasing rich throughout the world.
this is too much now the state of pakistan is considered as a orphan state and everyone in the world is destablising pakistan for their own interests…when will pakistani nation rise and will consider their homeland as their own and will run country by them selves
Why is anyone surprised; the 'deal' the Saud family made with the Wahabi's is we rule the secular and will support your aims and you give us cover under the name of Islam. The root cause is the failure of the state to meet the needs of the poor. It is time the people of this country woke up and asked the so-called elite for ehtisaab starting with the armed forces. Report card so far politicians D Army F.
The wahhabization and radicalization of the Pakistani society since the 1980's is self evident, not exactly a secret and does not necessary require additional confirmation. The sooner the nation wakes-up, the better the chance it will have to to rescue a rapidly deterioarating situation. Religous radicalism, intolerance and victimhood that has taken hold in different parts of Pakistan calls for a grassroots community education and better governmental oversight to ensure new educational organizations will nurture a progressive, informed, pluralistic and inclusive civil society of the future. As it struggles to fight the forces of extremism and lawlessness, the nation also needs to reform existing instituitions that continue to indoctrinate and preach hate and intolerance. Pakistanis will be do a great service to Saudi and UAE to get these regimes to stop the rot from where it originates.
I am totlly agree, because in 2009, we conducted a research in these area. The studing finding justifying the fact.
regard
If other countries do not have respect for our people, our country and our traditions why sould we care for them. Those who finance terror in our country also be held accountable. If they do not stop their evil activities in our land and against our people then they our friends. Jago Pakistan Jago.
Let alone killing, these Wahabbi/Deobandi Taliban have not even literally touched a single Jew on planet Earth, to them, Muslims in Pakistan are Jews. Pakistan is a spiritual state, we are not radicals, we believe a radical Muslim is the most peace-loving person by nature but the media-driven fools of the world don't understand this.
i dont think any of this is true,wikileak spreading these kind of news to destabilize the govt and create chose in the country.usa govt is shock of on public reaction on death of usma bin laden.
and further more saudi and uae govt have no interest in pakistan.usa,china,Britain are main players in here.
Please stop living in denial and face the facts, America and Jews are not behind every problem in Pakistan, it is our own fellow Muslims who are giving us problems from Waziristan to Al Qaeda to the Arab iranian struggle for Pakistani control.
Stop decieving yourself. We need to wake up Pakistan.
Plus I would request all please stop discriminating each other on the name of sects and ideologies. I wish we all stand united as Pakistanis and not eg as wahabis, or deobandis etc etc. There is no point in discriminating people on bases of their thoughts. We all should respect each other and each others ideas. We should develop tolerance and patience towards each other. This is the only way any country can move towards prosperity.
I agree Pakistan should be the priority but alot of these sects were against the creation of Pakistan and supported congress to remain with India. How can any patriotic Pakistan unite with these people.
Dear Friends,
I think being Pakistani we should all try to help our motherland come out of this trouble. Why we all close our eyes, ears and mouth. One of our brother told that this training is openly done in public. Why we do not speak about this. I love my army but i really think we do not need these puppet politicians who damn care about Pakistan. Atleast each one of us can put some effort on his and her level. I dnt know who these extremists are but for sure our children, mothers, sisters, brothers and fathers are not safe any more. Some one is funding these people and they are playing on the name of religion. I would rather say ask the mothers of people killed in bomb blasts each day? If any of our beloved one was at their place.
I really have huge sympathies with all the victims of Bomb blasts and i salute my army without whom these butchers would have done i dnt know what.
If only Saudi Arabia and UAE could truly help Pakistan by establishing power plants in Pakistan or help Pakistan develop its Thar coal-gas project. Its a pity that these these Wahabi sheiks spend so much money to spread their brand of Islam which embodies hatred towards all non-Wahabi muslims.
This is the true face of woobism.
It's typical Arabs using their money to exploit Women, Religion and their desires. Unfortunately – Pakistan follows the bait (Money) – Pakistan has very intelligent people so they don't need Arabs to tell them about ISLAM. Islamic scholars are from everywhere – and Islam does not teach to kill. Peace
Bahavalpur is where Ajmal Kasab, the 3 bit terrorist involved in Mumbai attacks came.So it's not just a threat to Pakistan..It's a threat to all..
These Deobandi/Wahabbi culture is alien to us.
Sufi culture is dying becuase of money poured against it from outside.
These are religious fascists. The greatest champions of Islam but at the same time not hesitating to destroy the peace of another islamic country. Even our ISI representative admitted in the parliament that one of the major religious political party has been receiving money from some other countries.
Despite what our Hamid Gul's and the Zaid Hamid's may think..modern Pakistan is a client state to three countries – Saudi Arabia,China and the USA.
It dare not offend any of those as they are the ones who provide the money to keep the show running. Pakistan's economy is in no state for it to be self sufficient for decades to come courtesy Army Inc and the landed political class.
The list of our allies is a contradiction of sorts, Saudi Arabia wants to spread it's Wahhabi poison at the cost of the tolerant South Asian version and China is a repressor of Islam (case in point, the 20 million muslims who live in East Turkestan).
Pakistan cannot and dare not offend either of the two. To us, atheist China is China helps Pakistan as it wants to keep India in check. China is the patron saint of all rouge regimes – North Korea,Sudan etc..the list goes on. One day all this will catchup to the Chinese if their economy is indeed built on a faulty real estate bubble as a lot of the research points to..
The US just wants it's dirty work done by the ISI.India's economy is growing and though they have problems, it has essentially walled off Kashmir and the Naxal problems.If the USA and India enter a strategic alliance, then the pincer on us begins to tighten.