Interior ministry notifies ban on JUI-F's ‘militant wing’

Published October 24, 2019
The federal cabinet had earlier this week approved a summary seeking a ban on Ansar-ul-Islam. — AFP/File
The federal cabinet had earlier this week approved a summary seeking a ban on Ansar-ul-Islam. — AFP/File

The interior ministry on Thursday issued a notification announcing a ban on the “militant wing” of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

The proscription of Ansar-ul-Islam, which the ministry referred to as a "private militia/Razakar Force" of the JUI-F, comes days before the Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led party is slated to lead an anti-government 'Azadi March'.

According to the notification, the federal government had "reasons to believe that Ansar-ul-Islam is capable of functioning as a military organisation, in violation of the prohibition contained in Article 256 of the Constitution".

The ban was imposed after approval by the federal government and obtaining the consent from all four provincial governments under Article 146(1) of the Constitution, which allows the federal government to delegate any of its powers to the provinces, conditionally or unconditionally, with the consent of the provincial governments.

Through the notification, the federal government through the Ministry of Interior has "entrust[ed] the provincial governments the power to take appropriate actions under Section 2 of the Private Military Organisations (Abolition and Prohibition) Act, 1974, against Ansar-ul-Islam".

The authority will include, among others, "the power to abolish/ban the said organisation and take further steps against them on ground" in order to complete the action, the notice said.

A summary seeking a ban on Ansar-ul-Islam was approved by the federal cabinet earlier this week, sources in the cabinet division had said.

Opinion

Editorial

When medicine fails
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

When medicine fails

Between now and 2050, medical experts expect antibiotic resistance to kill 40m people worldwide.
Nawaz on India
Updated 18 Nov, 2024

Nawaz on India

Nawaz Sharif’s hopes of better ties with India can only be realised when New Delhi responds to Pakistan positively.
State of abuse
18 Nov, 2024

State of abuse

DESPITE censure from the rulers and society, and measures such as helplines and edicts to protect the young from all...
Football elections
17 Nov, 2024

Football elections

PAKISTAN football enters the most crucial juncture of its ‘normalisation’ era next week, when an Extraordinary...
IMF’s concern
17 Nov, 2024

IMF’s concern

ON Friday, the IMF team wrapped up its weeklong unscheduled talks on the Fund’s ongoing $7bn programme with the...
‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs
Updated 17 Nov, 2024

‘Un-Islamic’ VPNs

If curbing pornography is really the country’s foremost concern while it stumbles from one crisis to the next, there must be better ways to do so.