LeT, JeM, LeJ join hands under banner of 'Muslim United Army'

M Zulqernain

Lahore, Apr 26 (PTI) Banned terrorist groups in
Pakistan's Punjab province are gaining strength after joining
hands on a new platform – Muslim United Army – and have become
a serious challenge for the government which lacks resources
to effectively counter their activities.

The banned groups –- Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed
and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi – have a common cause under the banner
of MUA and their activities are also in line with those of the
Taliban, according to a report drawn up by the Crime
Investigation Department.

The report also said militancy has been rapidly taking
roots in Punjab province, especially in the five districts of
Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and
Bhakkar.

"As several members of the three banned groups have
taken part in the Afghan war, they have developed a nexus with
the Taliban," a senior CID officer told PTI.

"In the suicide bombings of the Naval War College and
Federal Investigation Agency office in Lahore and the
terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team and police
training school in Manawan, the facilitators of the
perpetrators were from these organisations operating in
Punjab," the officer said.

Police officials also believe the three groups had
joined hands primarily to target the security forces.

Though the main actors of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi – Malik
Ishaq and Akram Lahori – are in jails in Multan and Karachi
respectively, they are operating their group from behind bars
in connivance with the prison staff, sources said.

Though both are being tried in a number of cases, they
are yet to be convicted in a single case due to lack of
evidence. Police claim people are afraid of giving testimony
against them.

Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is among 20
terrorists and criminals whose extradition has been sought by
India. Police officials claim Azhar has gone into hiding.

India had freed Azhar and two other terrorists to
secure the release of passengers of an Indian Airlines flight
that was hijacked and taken to Kandahar in 1999.

Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed is currently under
house arrest in Lahore. He was detained in the wake of the
Mumbai attacks.

The CID official said the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is
currently at the forefront in carrying out attacks in Punjab
along with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

He also said the Muslim United Army had developed a
core group in five districts as the three banned groups had
their seminaries there.

"The function of the core groups is to ensure maximum
recruitment from seminaries, give the recruits training and
equip them with weapons. The extremists then start
intimidating security forces, terrorising people, occupying
roads and targeting wealthy people, whom they consider
exploiters of the poor people," the officer explained.

Brig (retired) Farooq Hamid, a security analyst, was
of the view that the provincial government and the centre have
to work together to reform seminary education in order to
check growing militancy in Punjab.

"These are the breeding grounds and unless we wake up
to this fact, the spread of extremism can't be controlled,"
Hamid added. PTI MZ
SAK