Latest news with #Jamaat-e-Islami
Express Tribune
18 minutes ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Balochistan rights march rerouted
A potential standoff over the 'Balochistan Haq Do March' was averted on Wednesday after successful negotiations between the Punjab government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), leading to a revised plan for the protest caravan. Instead of heading to Islamabad, participants would proceed peacefully to the Lahore Press Club, while a delegation of JI leaders and march organisers will travel to the federal capital for formal negotiations. The long march, which began in Quetta five days ago, seeks to spotlight longstanding grievances of the Baloch people — including enforced disappearances, political marginalisation, and limited inclusion in national development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It had reached Lahore on Monday, with the next stop originally planned for Islamabad. However, the situation grew tense overnight as Punjab Police sealed off JI headquarters in Mansoorah, deploying heavy contingents and restricting the movement of protesters. Talks resumed in the morning and led to a consensus on a de-escalated path forward. Punjab's Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb led the government's negotiation team, which included Law Minister Sohaib Bharth and Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique. Representing JI were Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch, Secretary General Ameerul Azeem, and Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, who is leading the march. The senior minister described the two days of negotiations as "constructive and sincere," praising Jamaat-e-Islami for its peaceful and responsible conduct. She confirmed that the protesters would now demonstrate at the Lahore Press Club, where they would highlight their demands in a lawful and dignified manner. "Punjab government will extend full hospitality to our Baloch brothers," she said. "Their protection and dignity are our constitutional and moral responsibility."
Memri
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Memri
Senior Editor Of Indian Daily: 'India Has Reason To Worry As Turkish Intelligence Agencies Are... Extending Financial And Logistical Support To Islamist Factions In Bangladesh'
In a recent article, Jayanta Kalita, who is a senior editor of The Times of India newspaper, warned that Turkish and Pakistani intelligence agencies are seeking to sabotage India's interests in Bangladesh following the August 5, 2024, ouster of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India, had run a secular government that crushed Islamist and jihadi forces, and executed several Jamaat-e-Islami leaders for their role in Pakistan during the 1971 liberation war. Following the ouster of Hasina, who was pro-China, an interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus is expected to hold general elections in late December 2025 or early 2026. "Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey is said to have ramped up its engagement with Islamist groups in South Asia, gradually broadening Ankara's foothold in the region's religious and political spheres," Jayant Kalita wrote, recognizing the strengthening of Islamist forces in Bangladesh under the Yunus administration. The senior editor warned New Delhi about Turkey's growing influence in Bangladesh, noting: "India has reason to worry as Turkish intelligence agencies are reportedly extending financial and logistical support to Islamist factions in Bangladesh – most notably the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami." His warning follows Turkey's cooperation with Pakistan during the May 7-10, 2025, war between Pakistan and India. Following are excerpts from his article: "The Yunus-Led Administration Is Planning To Set Up Two Defense Industry Complexes – In Chittagong And Narayanganj – In Collaboration With Turkish Companies" "There are some worrying reports that Turkish intelligence agencies may be covertly supporting Islamist outfits in Bangladesh – most notably the radical group Jamaat-e-Islami – as Dhaka faces a political vacuum. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey is said to have ramped up its engagement with Islamist groups in South Asia, gradually broadening Ankara's foothold in the region's religious and political spheres. "These developments could pose significant risks to India's national security, especially as jihadi terror groups – suppressed under the Hasina government – are now attempting to regroup and reactivate their sleeper cells. "What Does Bangladesh Want From Turkey? "The Yunus-led administration is planning to set up two defense industry complexes – in Chittagong and Narayanganj – in collaboration with Turkish companies... The move follows Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun's recent five-day trip to Turkey [in early June 2025]. "In January this year [2025], the two sides had discussed the possibility of cooperation in the defense-industry sector when Turkey's trade minister Ömer Bolat called on chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka. 'You are the leader of the technology; you can build your defense industry here. Let's make a are available for anything that you need,' Yunus told Bolat, according to Dhaka-based newspaper, The Daily Star. Under Muhammad Yunus, Islamist forces have gained ground in Bangladesh. "He urged Turkey to bring its technology to Bangladesh, invest more, relocate factories, and use Bangladesh's large, young population to its advantage. Nearly 40% of Bangladesh's population is below the age of 25. "This was followed by another round of discussion between Bangladeshi foreign affairs adviser Md. Touhid Hossain and Turkish Aerospace chief Mehmet Demirolu in April [2025], in which the former suggested that Dhaka needed a reliable partner in aerospace technology and it would be a win-win situation for both Bangladesh and Turkey if they cooperated with each other, Dhaka Tribune reported. "Needless to say, Turkey has long been a major defense supplier for Bangladesh, with Dhaka acquiring a range of Turkish-made weapons and military hardware, including MKE Boran 105mm howitzers, Bayraktar drones, TRG300/230 guided multiple rocket launch system, armoured vehicles, small arms, among others." "Relations [With Bangladesh] Deteriorated Further On May 12, 2016, When Erdoğan Publicly Condemned The Execution Of Jamaat-e-Islami Leader Motiur Rahman Nizami Who Was Convicted Of Genocide, Rape, And Massacres" "How Hasina Kept Erdoğan In Line "Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, Turkey and Bangladesh maintained largely cordial ties. However, things changed after 2011, when Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) embraced a more overtly political Islamist agenda, creating tensions with Sheikh Hasina's government in Dhaka. "The strain became evident in December 2012, when then Turkish President Abdullah Gül sent a letter to his Bangladeshi counterpart, Zillur Rahman, urging clemency for individuals [supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh] who were on trial for war crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 liberation war. Dhaka, however, rejected the appeal, unwilling to reopen negotiations on such a sensitive issue. "Relations deteriorated further on May 12, 2016, when Erdoğan publicly condemned the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was convicted of genocide, rape, and massacres. This sparked a diplomatic rift severe enough for both countries to withdraw their ambassadors in protest. Sheikh Hasina was pro-China and a staunchly secular leader who crushed Islamist forces. "Despite these political setbacks, Turkey and Bangladesh sustained robust economic and trade engagement. Between 2004 and 2014, Turkey provided approximately $13 million in development aid to Bangladesh, focusing primarily on education, healthcare, and vocational training. "Over the past decade, bilateral trade between the two nations has consistently hovered around the $1 billion mark annually, underscoring a pragmatic relationship driven by economic interests, despite political friction. However, Hasina's removal [in August 2024] appears to have opened a new avenue for Erdoğan to advance his Islamist agenda under the guise of strengthening trade and defense cooperation with Dhaka." "[Indian Intelligence Analysts] Further Claim That A Strategic Alliance Appears To Be Taking Shape Between Turkey, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), And Bangladesh's Jamaat, With The Shared Objective Of Destabilizing India" "Should India Be Worried? "India has reasons to worry as Turkish intelligence agencies are reportedly extending financial and logistical support to Islamist factions in Bangladesh – most notably, the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami, known for its pro-Pakistan stance. "According to intelligence sources cited by [Indian media outlet] News18, the renovation of Jamaat's office in Dhaka's Moghbazar was allegedly funded by entities linked to Turkish spy agencies. "They further claim that a strategic alliance appears to be taking shape between Turkey, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and Bangladesh's Jamaat, with the shared objective of destabilizing India. This trilateral nexus is reportedly coordinating the flow of funds, arms, and radical ideology throughout South Asia, leveraging Bangladesh as a critical hub for orchestrating anti-India activities. Tayyip Erdoğan seeks to build ties with Pakistan and Bangladesh, targeting India. "These developments can be seen in the context of the standoff between India and Turkey over the latter's support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Notably, in June this year [2025], Bangladesh's Supreme Court lifted the 2013 ban on Jamaat-e-Islami. "While the Jamaat has remained active organizationally despite the ban, its formal re-entry in electoral politics marks a radical shift in Dhaka's 'zero tolerance approach' to religious extremism and terrorism adopted by the erstwhile Hasina government, a move which also worked in India's favor, given its crackdown on insurgent groups from Northeast [of India] operating from Bangladeshi soil. "With general elections in Bangladesh months away [expected in late December 2025 or early 2026], Turkish and Pakistani intelligence agencies may seek to exploit the prevailing political uncertainty to influence the outcome and facilitate the rise of an anti-India regime in the country." Source: (India), July 7, 2025. The original English of the article has been lightly edited for clarity and standardization.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Talal, JI leaders discuss ‘Balochistan Rights March'
LAHORE: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, a member of the government committee formed in connection with Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan's 'Haq Do Balochistan Ko' long march, visited Mansoorah, here on Sunday afternoon. He met with Jamaat-e-Islami leaders including Naib Emir Liaqat Baloch and Secretary General Ameerul Azeem. The meeting focused on discussions regarding the long march. It was agreed that the government would provide full security to the March participants until they reach Multan and Lahore. The Minister of State said that in Lahore, the federal government's committee would engage in talks with the organizers of the Haq Do Balochistan Ko march. He expressed hope that the march would conclude in Lahore and that there would be no need to proceed to Islamabad. Jamaat-e-Islami leaders stated that the party is peaceful and struggles for public rights through legitimate and democratic means in accordance with the Constitution. They urged the government to provide security for the peaceful march. The Jamaat-e-Islami leaders also emphasized to the Minister of State that the march should be allowed to reach its final destination in Islamabad and that the government must show seriousness in addressing the demands of the wounded and deprived Baloch people. The Minister responded by saying that this was precisely why he had come to the party's headquarters in person. He added that the PML-N and the government have always given priority to resolving Balochistan's issues. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
A year after Bangladesh's Monsoon Revolution, a parched summer looms ahead
Even as Bangladesh prepares to mark the first anniversary of the so-called Monsoon Revolution — the violent rebellion that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed to flee the country — disquiet is mounting over the legacy of those dramatic events. The de facto Prime Minister, Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus, has announced that elections will be held in April. But no one knows for sure if this will halt the country's descent into chaos and the disintegration of its multicultural ethos. 'The doors of hell were forced wide open,' the elderly Saraswati Sarkar recalled to a team of jurists , 'They chased women, children, men like ferocious, blind, and passionate brutes, hungry for blood and murder, and the flesh of women.' Truckloads of dead bodies were driven past Nitaiganj, Kshirodi Bala Dasi later remembered , to be tossed into the river Lakha, not far from the Isphani Jute Mills. Vultures, kites, and crows gorged themselves through the day as the bodies rotted; at night, jackals would gather to feast. There was no one left to help. The few local Hindus who had escaped the massacres had fled into the woods, leaving behind their burned-down homes. Finding drinking water was almost impossible: the river stank of death for weeks, until the end of 1964. Large-scale mob violence, journalists Arafat Rahaman and Sajjad Hossain write, has claimed 179 lives in the last ten months, often in the presence of police. The victims include politicians, members of religious minorities, women accused of dressing improperly, purported blasphemers, and, in one case, a person suffering from psychiatric illness. Women's football matches have had to be cancelled due to mob threats, Hindu shrines have been vandalised, and national monuments, like founding patriarch Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman's home, burned down. Islamist groups, meanwhile, are growing in power. The Jamaat-e-Islami, proscribed under Prime Minister Hasina for its role in war crimes during 1971, has cashed in on the anti-establishment, populist sentiments that drove last year's youth protests. The release of cleric Jashimuddin Rahmani, an al-Qaeda-inspired ideologue who preached violence online, has given renewed space to jihadist groups such as Ansarullah Bangla Team, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, and Hizb ut-Tahrir. To end the chaos, a political outcome is needed, one that is inclusive and empowers the institutions of governance. But former Prime Minister Hasina's Awami League has been banned, leaving a substantial section of Bangladesh's voters without representation in the April elections. The party had previously been proscribed three times — by Field Marshal Ayub Khan in 1958, General Yahya Khan in 1971, and General Ziaur Rahman in 1975. Little imagination is needed to see that the fascist impulses that overpowered Bangladesh in 1964—just seven years before the Liberation War, which cast it as a hero of secular-democratic politics—could be unleashed, should a genuine restoration of democracy prove illusory. A million and a half refugees came to India in 1950; more than 6,00,000 in 1951-52; another 1.6 million between 1953 and 1956. Largely landless Muslims also streamed into the east, but didn't leave behind properties that could be used for rehabilitation. India considered using its military to seize territory in Khulna and Jessore, historian Pallavi Raghavan has written, but concluded that war would mean even more refugees. The 1964 killings, however, sparked a ferocious communal response in India, with 264 people reported killed in Kolkata alone. Also read: Coup rumours are circulating in Dhaka. Here's why the army isn't keen on it Fragmenting democracy The road to disillusionment has been a short one for Bangladeshis. In 1990, a mass uprising—involving future Prime Ministers Hasina and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party rival Khaleda Zia—overthrew military dictator Husain Muhammad Ershad. Elections saw Prime Minister Khaleda take power, beginning what scholar Ali Riaz, now an advisor to Yunus, has called the country's new democratic era. Five years later, Khaleda peacefully conceded power when the Awami League won the next election. From the outset, though, there were cracks in the new system. First, as Riaz notes, both major parties discarded the allies who had backed them during the struggle against General Ershad. This narrowed the reach of the political system. Second, both parties launched mass movements against the government while in opposition, undermining its legitimacy. Khaleda's victory in 2001 created new imbalances. Although the electoral margin was razor-thin, the first-past-the-post system gave the BNP a substantial majority in Parliament. Hasina alleged electoral fraud and initially refused to join the new Parliament. Her MPs later took their oaths, but in 2006, the parties deadlocked over appointing a caretaker government to supervise elections. In early 2007, the Awami League announced it would boycott the polls. Faced with this impasse—and widespread street violence that left dozens dead—the military stepped in. Army chief General Moeen Ahmed persuaded the President to declare a state of Emergency. Former World Bank official Fakhruddin Ahmed took charge as Chief cases were filed against both Zia and Hasina in what was initially hailed as a campaign to clean up the country's system. Islamist rise Two principal forces benefitted from this democratic collapse. First was the Jamaat-e-Islami, heir to the Pakistan Army's war crimes in 1971. During 2001-2005, scholar Devin Hagerty notes, the Jama'at leveraged its 18 MPs to secure control over the ministries of agriculture and social welfare. This, together with remittances from supporters in the Middle East, allowed it to set up a massive network of seminaries, economic institutions, and welfare organisations. For all practical purposes, the Jama'at became 'a state within a state.' Islamists outside the political mainstream also flourished. Closely linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and al-Qaeda, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh drew hundreds of recruits from Salafist seminaries. In August 2005, the group set off an estimated 500 bomb explosions, targeting 300 locations in 63 of the country's 64 districts. The organisation's hopes of setting up an Islamist mini-state were crushed by security forces, but it laid the foundation for persistent threats to Bangladesh, as well as India. Hizb-ut-Tahrir, led by diaspora elements in the United Kingdom, brought caliphate ideology to elite campuses. The al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansarullah Bangla Team later began assassinating progressive activists. The new authoritarianism After returning to power post-Emergency, Prime Minister Hasina built an order designed to insulate her regime from political and security threats. The Awami League cracked down on BNP street protests, jailed opposition leaders, and used force ahead of the 2014 elections. For the most part, judicial independence was erased through political control of appointments and threats. The caretaker governance system, established in 1996 to ensure impartial elections, was abolished in 2011. To insulate itself from jihadist and Jamaat-e-Islami attacks, Hasina's government allied with Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, a movement of clerics and madrasa students. Hefazat's demands included Islamic language in the Constitution, gender segregation in public spaces, and capital punishment for blasphemy — eating into Jamaat's traditional support base. The Awami League's strategy to crush the opposition worked in 2018 and again in 2024. But in July, what began as a student protest against job quotas evolved into a mass movement to oust Hasina and her increasingly authoritarian regime. The government responded with violence. Eventually, fearing the cracking of the country's social edifice as well as state, the army forced Hasina out. For the upcoming elections to matter, they must mark the beginning of an inclusive political revival and the rebuilding of a multicultural society. There is no roadmap, but there are plenty of reminders of what failure will look like. Eleven hundred people were killed in East Pakistan in 1964, official estimates say. An American Peace Corps nurse counted 600 bodies at a single hospital in Dhaka. Each of those bodies is a reminder that Bangladesh's Arab Spring could all too easily give way to a long, parched summer. Praveen Swami is contributing editor at ThePrint. He tweets with @praveenswami. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Constitution exists but it is not followed, says JI chief
LAHORE: Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has said that a cruel and exploitative system continues to dominate Pakistan where the constitution exists but not implemented. 'Even judges today are dissatisfied with the justice system. While the wealthy can buy justice, the poor are left to suffer for generations in the courts,' he said. Addressing participants of the central training workshop at Mansoora on Saturday, he stressed that the Jamaat-e-Islami is striving to provide justice to the people at the grassroots level. 'Feudal landlords exploit the farmers, capitalists and contractors feed off the sweat of labourers, and the sugar mill mafia loots the people while sitting in the government itself,' he said. 'This exploitative rule must end and the public must stand with Jamaat-e-Islami to bring about this change.' Rehman emphasized that the 'Haq Do Balochistan Ko' movement is not a cause of a single ethnic group but a struggle for the rights of the entire province. 'Every citizen deserves equal rights over their resources, their land, and their dignity.' He announced that Jamaat-e-Islami is forming people's committees in every village, town, neighbourhood, and union council across the country. These committees aim to fight injustice and lawlessness, while also tackling drug abuse, especially among youth. 'They will lead community-driven efforts to reform the education system, rehabilitate crumbling public school buildings, and address municipal and civic problems including the care and maintenance of mosques,' he added. The JI chief urged the youth to engage not only in education and sports but also in healthy competition for moral and social development. 'We need youth who lead their communities in good deeds,' he stated. Criticizing Pakistan's deepening debt and subservience to the IMF, he said, 'Those who have chained the country to foreign loans are looting the nation. Big landlords and industrialists refuse to pay taxes while expanding their private businesses by usurping public rights. Meanwhile, the burden is placed entirely on the poor, as the ruling elite continues to raise their salaries and perks.' He said that business and industry is essential for job creation, expanding private empires through land grabbing is an unforgivable crime. 'Jamaat-e-Islami will continue to adopt every legal and democratic path to secure the rights of the working class, small farmers, and oppressed citizens.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
