Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi
Tehreek Nafaz Shariat Mohammadi TNSM تحریک نفاذ شریعت محمدی Movement for the Enforcement of Muhammadan Law | |
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War on Terror Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
Designated as a terrorist group by | Pakistan United States |
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM,
The group took over much of
The organization is based in the areas along the
Characteristics
TNSM militia members are "identified by their shoulder-length hair and camouflage vests over traditional
Enforcement of Sharia
As part of what it sees as enforcement of Sharia law, the group has bombed girls schools and blown up video and CD shops.[11] Fazlullah has also used his FM broadcasts to urge schoolgirls to wear all-covering burqas and has forced the closure of some development organizations, accusing them of spreading immorality by employing female staff.[6]
History
Origins
During the 1980s, Sufi Muhammad actively participated in
1994 Malakand Division Revolt
Sufi Muhammad fomented an insurrection in Malakand Division (Dir, Swat, Bajaur, Chitral) on the basis of a demand for Sharia law. The uprising was quashed by the Pakistan military but not before TNSM had brought the Dir and Swat under its control. Timergara was besieged by government artillery and fighting was particularly intense in Swat.
It is alleged that while under TNSM control, drivers were forced to switch to driving on the right side of the road, which resulted in many accidents.
2001–2002
President Pervez Musharraf banned the group on January 12, 2002.[5]
2005
After a brief decline, the group experienced a revival in the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake. Radio broadcasts reinforced local beliefs that the earthquake was a punishment for sins, and local inhabitants of the region destroyed electronic equipment, such as televisions and computers, in response.[1]
2007
In July 2007, the group took over much of the Swat District and held on to it as late as November, when Pakistani forces ousted
The stronghold, eight kilometres from the valley's main town of Mingora in Kabal
An Associated Press reporter who visited the base in October 2007 described it as a concrete complex near the village. "Inside is a mosque and a maze of dozens of rooms, many still under construction. A shop sells audio cassettes of speeches by Fazlullah." Although the seminary hadn't opened for students, it was drawing thousands of worshippers for Friday prayers, residents told the Associated Press. Fazlullah's spokesman, Sirajuddin, then based at the seminary, is a gray-bearded militant who goes by only one name.[6]
About 250 militants died in two weeks of fighting in late November, during which the two-square-kilometer base was bombarded by artillery, according to Pakistani authorities. People in a number of towns destroyed the fortified bunkers the rebels, including Fazlullah and Sirajuddin, had left behind as the militants retreated into the mountains.[12]
Collaboration with the TTP
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi is an important member of the
Attacks on Buddhist sculptures
On October 8, 2007, members of the TNSM group used dynamite to obliterate the face of the 23 foot high colossal image of a seated
2008
Sufi Muhammad was released after he renounced violence in discussion with the provincial government. Eight leaders of TNSM signed a peace agreement that recognized the provincial government's sovereignty, urged an end to violence and declared attacks against police, military and government targets "un-Islamic."[9]
2009
As of January 2009 Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi had established Shariah courts, that "openly administer punishment to people who dared to violate their strict code of conduct" in a region extending "from Matta sub-division in upper Swat valley to Kabal sub-division close the main Mingora town."[15]
Campaign against female education
A January 21, 2009 issue of the Pakistan daily newspaper The News, reported Taliban enforcement of a complete ban on female education in the Swat district. Some 400 private schools enrolling 40,000 girls were forced to close. At least 10 girls schools that tried to open after the January 15, 2009 deadline by the Fazlullah-led Taliban were destroyed by the militants in the town of Mingora, the headquarters of the Swat district.[16][failed verification] Over the past 14 months[15] "more than 170 schools have been bombed or torched, along with other government-owned buildings."[17][failed verification]
Sharia Nizam-i-Adl Regulation 2009
The Pakistani government announced on February 16, 2009, that it would allow Sharia law in the Malakand region. In return, Fazlullah's followers agreed to observe a ceasefire negotiated by Sufi Muhammad.[9][10][21][22] On February 24, 2009, Muslim Khan publicly announced that the Swati Taliban would observe an indefinite ceasefire.[23]
Reactions to ceasefire
- NATO feared that the agreement would only serve to allow militants to regroup and to create a safe haven for cross-border attacks into Afghanistan.[24]
- Amnesty International expressed concern that the agreement would legitimize human rights abuses in the region.[21]
End of negotiations
In early April 2009
Destruction of headquarters
In June 2009, Pakistani security forces bombed and destroyed the Imam Dheri compound that served as Fazlullah's headquarters. The compound had contained residences, a mosque, court and prison.[29][30]
References
- ^ The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the originalon 3 September 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ^ "Pakistan's militant Islamic groups". BBC. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ King, Laura (24 February 2009). "Confusion hangs over Pakistan's pact with Taliban". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ^ Pakistan. Mapping Militants. Stanford University.
- ^ a b c d "Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, Extremist Group of Pakistan". SATP. Archived from the original on 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ^ a b c d e f Khan, Riaz. "Inside rebel Pakistan cleric's domain" Archived 2009-05-01 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press report, as it appeared at USA Today Website, October 27, 2007, accessed November 7, 2007
- ^ a b Hassan Abbas (12 April 2006). "The Black-Turbaned Brigade: The Rise of TNSM in Pakistan". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ^ "DARGAI & CHENAGAI: WAITING TO HEAR ZAWAHIRI'S VERSION - INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR: PAPER NO. 152". South Asia Analysis Group. Archived from the original on 2006-11-26. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
- ^ a b c d "Top Pakistani militant released". BBC News. 2008-04-21. Archived from the original on 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ a b Toosi, Nahal (2009-02-15). "Taliban to cease fire in Pakistan's Swat Valley". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b c Gannon, Kathy. "Militants gaining ground in Pakistan" Archived 2011-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press report at USA Today Web site, November 1, 2007, accessed November 7, 2007
- ^ a b "Pakistan troops seize radical cleric's base: officials", Agence France Presse article, November 28, 2007, accessed same day
- ^ Rehmat, Kamran (2009-01-27). "Swat: Pakistan's lost paradise". Islamabad: Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
- ^ Rose, Mark (November 6, 2007). "Pakistan's Heritage at Risk". Archaeology. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ a b Shaheen Buneri (2009-01-25). "Militant Commander Summons 40 Politicians To Appear Before Taliban Court". Pamirpost.newsvine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ^ The News, Pakistan, January 21, 2009.
- ^ The News, Pakistan, January 21, 2009
- ^ Yusufzai, Rahimullah (2009-01-17). "Taliban and the people of Swat". The News. Retrieved 2009-01-29. [dead link]
- ^ Rehman Khan, Fasihur (2009-01-28). "Taliban in Swat ready to reconsider women's education". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ Taliban targeting Pakistani scientists Archived July 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Ali, Zulfiqar; Laura King (2009-02-17). "Pakistan officials allow Sharia in volatile region". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ "Pakistan agrees Sharia law deal". BBC News. 2009-02-16. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
- ^ Perlez, Jane (2009-02-24). "Taliban Accepts Pakistan Cease-Fire". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
- ^ "Pakistan Blasted for Creating Taliban Safe Haven With Islamic Law Deal". Fox News. 2009-02-17. Archived from the original on 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ "Sufi Mohammed calls off Swat peace deal". Dawn. 2009-04-09. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
- ^ Asghar, Raja (2009-04-14). "Sharia for Malakand as Zardari signs law". Dawn Media Group. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- ^ "Fears over Swat sharia deal". Al Jazeera. 2009-04-14. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- ^ "Security forces blow up Fazlullah's HQ: officials". Archived from the original on 14 June 2009.
- ^ "Fazlullah's Imam Dheri Headquarter blown up". Islamabad: Online - International News Network. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- ^ "Fazlullah's headquarters blown up". The Hindu. 2009-06-10. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2009-06-10.