Leading Pakistani Islamic Party Rallies for Revolution
Pakistan's fundamentalist Islamic movement continued to gain
momentum over the weekend, with a rally of the country's leading
Islamic party, Jamaat-i-Islami. Jamaat leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad
launched the October 23-25 rally in Islamabad claiming, "This
grand demonstration of faith is a harbinger of a great movement
for Islamic revolution." The tens of thousands of attendees
reportedly responded with shouts of "Inqilab (revolution), Islami
Inqilab!" The one-time ally of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif lashed out at Sharif, claiming he lacked sincerity,
courage, and competence to carry out Islamic Shariah law. Ahmad
charged that Sharif only pushed for adoption of the Shariah,
which has already passed the lower house of parliament, as a
means to acquire more personal power. Declaring that it appeared
as though there was no government in Pakistan, Ahmad asked, "If
today we move to take over the parliament and the government, who
can stop this mammoth crowd?" "But we do not want anarchy," he
added.
Among the tens of thousands in attendance at the Islamabad rally
were guests of honor Syed Salahuddin, chief of the Hizbul
Mujahideen, the pro-Pakistani Islamic rebel organization in
Kashmir, Golboddin Hekmatyar, former Prime Minister of
Afghanistan, and Ibrahim Ghousha, the official spokesman for
HAMAS. Jamaat had also formally invited "the hero of the Islamic
world," Osama Bin Laden, to attend, and had formed special
uniformed units of mojahedin youth to provide security had he
attended. By including these guests of honor, Jamaat sent a
message not only to the Sharif's government, but also to India,
Afghanistan, Israel, and the United States, that the rise of
fundamentalism in Pakistan was not going to stop.
In case that message was too subtle, Ahmad blasted the U.S. for
global attacks against Islam, and declared Jamaat's solidarity
with Islamic forces in Algeria, Sudan, Turkey, Malaysia, among
others. The choices were poignant. Algeria's Armed Islamic
Group is waging an ongoing, bloody struggle with a secular
government. Sudan's regime supported Osama Bin Laden, drawing
and withstanding the wrath of the United States. Turkey's
Islamists are increasingly suppressed by the secular regime in
Ankara. And Malaysia's Muslims are rapidly emerging from
dormancy to assert themselves on the political stage.
Jamaat also raised more than one million dollars in donations
during the rally, for use in what it called a jihad (holy war)
fund. According to a Jamaat spokesman, the fund will be used to
support militant Muslims throughout the world. One candidate was
immediately apparent, as commandos of the Hizbul Mujahideen
marched for the event.
The conference ended on Sunday with the adoption of a three-part
plan for Pakistan: implementation and enforcement of the Shariah,
with an Islamic government to back it up; development and
retention of nuclear capabilities for Pakistan with no
concessions to western governments; and the return of Kashmir to
Pakistan.
As we reported in the October 21 Global Intelligence Update,
Prime Minister Sharif has been waving the flag of Islam in an
attempt to bolster his own power in Pakistan. Faced with
scandals over his financial activities, as well as a lack of
confidence in his ability to pull Pakistan out of its economic
downturn, Sharif used the Indian nuclear tests as a starting
point to refocus the attention of the Pakistani people. The
dramatic success of the Pakistan-backed Taleban militia in
neighboring Afghanistan fueled the fervor. And Sharif stoked the
fires with his campaign for the Shariah. However, his attempts
to raise nationalistic and fundamentalist Islamic sentiments in
Pakistan has now backfired, as the Islamic parties have
capitalized on the movement and are now pressing for Sharif's
removal.
Invigorated by the Islamic fervor created by Prime Minister
Sharif, Jamaat is already well on its way to realizing at least
two of its goals. Jamaat supported the right of Pakistan to test
and posses nuclear weapons. It recently warned Sharif that if he
plans to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in
Washington this December, he should "take a one way ticket."
Jamaat has declared that it will not allow Sharif to stay in
power if he signs away Pakistan's power to control its own
nuclear destiny.
Jamaat is also pressing for the passage of the Shariah by the
Pakistani Senate, this despite its assertion that Sharif only
proposed adoption of the law to advance his own power. Clearly,
Jamaat does not believe Sharif will be around long enough to
abuse the law. After all, Jamaat has pledged a "great movement
for Islamic revolution." With JI backing, the passage of the
Shariah is nearly ensured. Other Islamic parties are backing the
measure as well. In fact, a member of the Senate has complained
that the head of the Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith has issued
death threats against those who vote against the Shariah.
With Jamaat's first two goals in sight, attention is now drawn to
its third goal -- Pakistani control of all of Kashmir. The
invitation of Syed Salahuddin to speak at the JI rally was a
direct threat to India. Salahuddin is one of the most wanted men
in India, and heads the violent resistance to Indian "occupation"
of Kashmir. Salahuddin called on Pakistan to end its internal
squabbles and create an Islamic nation. He called for all the
people in Pakistan who are involved in killings and bombings to
join him in Kashmir and direct their energy against India.
Border tensions in Kashmir, always high, are rising. India
claimed border clashes with Pakistani soldiers on Tuesday
morning, a claim which the Pakistani government denied. There
have also been recent reports that Taleban-trained soldiers are
infiltrating Kashmir and beginning to take charge of the
guerrillas there. If Jamaat is facilitating this, through Hizbul
Mujahideen, to what extent can it draw on Taleban support against
Sharif.
With the Islamabad rally, Pakistan's Islamic fundamentalists have
launched their Islamic revolution, if only in rhetoric at the
present. Jamaat has turned the tables and used Prime Minister
Sharif to raise its own power. It allowed him to raise
fundamentalist feelings in Pakistan and to promote the Shariah,
and is now carrying on the cause, while at the same time pushing
to oust Sharif. With opposition coming from within and outside
of his government, Sharif can't last long. The question is, will
Jamaat take his place, or will the army act first to maintain
secular authority. Moreover, has the situation in Pakistan
progressed to the point where even the army can not contain the
Islamic militants? One possible pressure release valve, at least
temporarily, would be action in Kashmir. While such a venture
would rouse nationalist, Islamist sentiment still further in
Pakistan, with the careful feeding of select Pakistani militants
into the Indian army meat grinder, Islamabad's secular leadership
could hope to diminish the actual organizational strength of
Pakistan's fundamentalist Islamic opposition.
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