Madrassas in Pak Punjab becoming breeding grounds for terror, admits Malik
May 31st, 2010 - 4:30 pm ICT by ANI
Lahore, May 31 (ANI): Describing banned terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) as part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik as admitted that South Punjab, where more than 44 percent of country’s madrassas are, was fast becoming a terror hub.
Talking to reporters after visiting the Model Town mosque here, which was attacked by the Taliban on Friday along with another mosque belonging to the Ahmedia sect, Malik said the attackers, who carried out the ghastly terror siege of the two mosques killing over 80 people, had their roots in Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Malik said that following the ’successful’ military operations in Swat and FATA, the government was now chalking out a strategy to dismantle the terror network in South Punjab.
“Out of 1,764 persons associated with the two banned religious outfits, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jaish-e-Muhammad, 726 belonged to South Punjab,” The Nation quoted Malik, as saying.
“Forces working on agenda to destabilise Pakistan have started their activities in the heart of Pakistan (Punjab), after being defeated in Swat and FATA. Terrorists won’t be able to demoralise us as government is determined to launch more attacks against the terrorists,” he said.
While hinting that the madrassas in Punjab were the root cause of the expanding terrorism in the province, Malik said the government would set up an authority to regulate the religious seminaries, where uniform syllabus with subjects like English and Mathematics would be taught.
“Religious schools would not be allowed to give admission to foreign students,” he added. (ANI)
- Pakistani extremists joining Taliban, Al Qaeda: Rehman Malik - May 30, 2010
- Pak lie nailed: puts JuD in banned groups list but orders no 'restrictions' on its activities - Jul 06, 2010
- Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba working like 'paid killers' for Taliban :Malik - Jul 03, 2010
- Banned terror outfits recruiting fresh 'jihadis' under govt's nose in Pak - May 04, 2010
- Porn films seized from Taliban's 'jihadi' hideout : Malik - Dec 12, 2009
- TTP amazingly not among 17 terror groups targeted in Pak Punjab Govt. crack down - Jul 05, 2010
- Federal level intervention needed to counter growing terror in Pak's Punjab - Jun 01, 2010
- 'Banned terror outfits highly active in Pak Punjab, functioning under new names' - Jul 12, 2010
- Pak Punjab police arrests 90 terror suspects in raids across province - Jul 13, 2010
- Haqqani network growing in Pakistan despite drone strikes - Feb 14, 2011
- Deepening terror roots in Pak Punjab cause of worry for international community: NYT - Jun 03, 2010
- Jihadi culture on the rise in Pakistan (Part-I) - Dec 24, 2009
- Taliban expanding network in Pak's military, political heartland- Punjab - Jun 17, 2010
- Extremists likely to target NAB offices, ATC in Punjab: Pak security agencies - Mar 12, 2010
- India not involved in carrying out terrorist activities in Pak: Rehman Malik - Nov 22, 2010
Tags: balochistan, breeding grounds, foreign students, interior minister, jaish, jem, lashkar, lej, madrassas, military operations, model town, mosques, rehman, religious schools, root cause, seminaries, terror groups, terror network, tribal areas, ttp