LAHORE - The federal government has revised the list of banned outfits involved in extremist and terrorist activities across the country, a BBC report said on Thursday, citing sources in Interior Ministry. According to the new list, there are some 52 proscribed organisations operating across the country at present. The number of extremist groups has doubled since the last list drawn during the last PPP tenure, that had 23 such outfits.
Sources said Al-Qaeda had topped the new list, while in the previous list, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had secured the top place with TTP in second place. Interestingly, the various wings of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan are not added to the list. For instance, any terrorist cell named Punjabi Taliban has not been declared defunct. Ghazi Force, Harkatul Jehad Islami, Al-Rasheed Trust and Al-Akhtar Trust – all of which were put on the watch list formerly – have made it to the main list this time. The new watch list has been reduced from five to only two such groups. Nevertheless, those groups that were basically affiliates with TTP but were operating separately. Besides Jundullah group, Qari Abid group, Noorullah group, Waliur Rehman group, Nizam group, Tauheed group, other terrorist cells which are active in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been included in the revised list.
Balochistan Liberation Army, Balochistan National Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Unit Front, Balochistan Republican Army, Lashkar-e-Balochistan, Balochistan Musalah Difa Tanzeem and Balochistan Unit Army have also made it to the list. Besides, the list also contains the names of outfits working in Gilgit-Baltistan. These include Tanzeem Naujawanaan-e-Ahle Sunnat, Muslim Students’ Organisation, Markaz Sabeel Organisation and Shia Talba Action Committee.
According to the new list, in Sindh province, besides People’s Peace Committee, Tehreek-e-Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and various likeminded groups are active. Besides them, different other groups are involved in incidents of ransom for abductions, among them Janullah group is at the top.
Although the list does not contain the name of Muhajir Republican Army, National Crisis Management Cell did, according to sources, propose to place this group on the watch list however.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Muttahida Qaumi Movement had no links with Muhajir Republican Army. According to sources in Interior Ministry, Lashkar-e-, Jhangvi, Sunni Tehreek, Tehreek-e-Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba are most active in Punjab province. Some members of al Qaeda have also been apprehended recently in the province. Sources said the list of proscribed organisations was being prepared in the light of intelligence provided by the civil and military secret agencies.