Coalition of Pak jihadi groups resurfaces after lying dormant for many years

NEW DELHI — The Difa-i-Pakistan Council (DPC), an umbrella coalition of primarily jihadi groups which had been dormant for several years, huddled at an Islamabad hotel with a one-point agenda – deliberations on how to pre-empt “conspiracies” allegedly hatched by politicians to hurt the “national interest”, according to a media report.

The DPC was established in 2011 in reaction to the killings of Pakistani soldiers by the US forces at the Pak-Afghan border. It, however, remained inactive after the murder of its founder Maulana Samiul Haq in 2018, Dawn reported.

During the “emergency meeting”, without naming any particular political party, the outfit talked about a “conspiracy by politicians to bring chaos and anarchy” in the country allegedly at the behest of the global powers.

Saturday’s meeting was not attended by senior leaders of Jamaatud Dawa and the Jamaat-i-Islami, Dawn reported.

Addressing the meeting, DPC Chairman Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani said that the “global forces were conspiring to weaken Pakistan”.

“Pakistan is a nuclear power so the enemy is spreading propaganda against us…they know that this nation cannot be defeated through the use of force,” said the son of late DPC chief Samiul Haq, Dawn reported.

The DPC chairman claimed that the “enemy forces wanted to carry out suicide attacks at mosques and Imambargahs” to create discord in the country. Without naming India or any other country, Haqqani claimed that “enemies hiding in Afghanistan” wanted to launch attacks into Pakistan from Afghan soil, Dawn reported.

The speeches made by the delegates were heavily critical of politicians and particularly criticised the PTI as well its leader Imran Khan, albeit without naming them.

The state-run PTV also aired the meeting, including the speech of banned outfit Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat head Ahmed Ludhianvi.

Ludhianvi said political matters should be decided in parliament instead of the streets. “We will not tolerate any chaos….” In an allusion to remarks made by former US envoy Zalmi Khalilzad purportedly in favour of former premier Imran Khan, Ludhianvi said that “foreign agents were interfering” in the internal affairs of Pakistan. “Time has come to take care of it immediately,” he said without elaborating, Dawn reported.

The declaration of the meeting said that political and economic instability was weakening the foundations of Pakistan and endangering its integrity. It slammed the policymakers, saying that for a billion dollars, the IMF was “insulting” the entire nation.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and current leader of Ansarul Umma said, “Our motherland is fighting for survival, freedom and independence, national pride, and defence of important national interests”. “Our freedom, sovereignty and integrity are at stake,” he claimed, Dawn reported.

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