Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Pak gov`t to contain banned groups, says PM Jamali

IRNA

Islamabad, Nov 16, IRNA - Pakistan`s Prime Minister 
Mir Zafarullah 
Khan Jamali Sunday said his government would not allow the banned 
groups to function under new nomenclature. 
The prime minister pointed out that the groups banned yesterday 
had also been earlier stopped to operate. "But they surfaced again 
under new names". 
"The decision to ban these groups had not been taken under any 
pressure," Jamali told reporters in an Iftar dinner in Islamabad. 
It is widely believed that the ban was ordered following a 
statement by the US Ambassador Nancy J Powell on Thursday in a speech 
in Karachi that Washington was concerned about banned Pakistani 
groups` re-establishing themselves under new names. She had named 
Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. 
Pakistani government banned on Saturday three religious groups 
Sunni Millat-e-Islamia and Khudam-ul-Islam and Shiite Islami Tehrik 
Pakistan. 
Another religious outfit, Jamaat-ul Dawat, was placed on a watch 
list, but was not banned. 
The authorities sealed the offices of the three groups across 
Pakistan and raids are being conducted to arrest its leaders. 
President General Musharraf banned several Islamic groups in 2001, 
following the September 11 attacks in the United States. But many of 
the groups changed their names and kept on their operations. 
He replied in the affirmative when IRNA asked if more groups or 
parties would be banned in government`s new campaign. 
TK/TSH/211 
End