Barelvi groups want nothing to do with TLP any more

KARACHI: Amid the countrywide crackdown on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), several Barelvi groups, including the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST), have distanced themselves from Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s party and its call for agitation against the government.

The government launched a crackdown on the TLP after the group announced that it would hold a massive demonstration in Islamabad against the Supreme Court’s decision to acquit Asia Bibi, a Christian woman earlier sentenced to death over alleged blasphemy.

More than 1,000 workers of the TLP and other Barelvi groups have been arrested so far. In Karachi and Hyderabad, a large number of members of Barelvi parties, such as the PST and the two factions of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP), have also been arrested.

PST leaders had announced that they would stay away from the TLP’s call for a countrywide demonstration on Sunday, saying that they are no longer a part of Rizvi’s party. “Our group and the Ahle Sunnat community is peaceful, and has always condemned hate speeches and violence,” PST spokesperson Fahim Shaikh told The News. “Violence and agitation is not a solution. We should respect the government and consult the courts on Asia Bibi’s acquittal.”

Shaikh said the law enforcement agencies have detained over 50 members of the PST from different parts of the country, including Karachi and Hyderabad. “The government should stop their crackdown on other parties and immediately release PST members.”

Sources familiar with Barelvi groups said that law enforcement agencies have detained a number of members of different parties, particularly the TLP and the PST, from Karachi’s Liaquatabad, New Karachi, Korangi, Malir, Landhi, old city areas and other localities.

The TLP and its aggressive stance on blasphemy issues have attracted a significant number of like-minded and aggressive people to the party, especially from the PST. “After the forming of the TLP, a large number of PST members joined Rizvi’s party. The TLP used them to block roads and make their protests successful,” said a police official. Even Ahmed Bilal Qadri, son of the Sunni Tehreek’s slain founder Saleem Qadri, is a key TLP leader in Karachi.

“Except Allama Owais Noorani’s JUP, all Barelvi parties support the TLP’s campaign,” said a Barelvi leader, “but after its central leaders’ recent harsh statements, Barelvi groups have started distancing themselves from the party.”

Traditionally, most Barelvi groups, except the ST, have enjoyed a reputation of moderation and non-violence as followers of Sufism. But in recent years, especially after Salmaan Taseer’s murder, Barelvi groups have turned aggressive on blasphemy issues, and are gaining political and street power within their community.

No Barelvi group is on the Ministry of Interior’s list of proscribed organisations. Two years ago, Sindh’s law enforcement agencies had asked the federal government to mount a watch on the TLP, saying that the group had been morphing into a militant outfit. The PST was on the ministry’s watch list for several years, but then it was taken off of it.