Karachi, Nov 18: Pakistan's powerful Islamist political alliance today defied a new government ban on renamed militant groups and vowed to support a banned Shiite organisation within its alliance. "We condemn the ban on religious groups and the Islami tehreek will remain part of the MMA," Shah Ahmad Noorani, who heads the six-party Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal alliance, declared after a night-long meeting of MMA chiefs.

Islami Tehreek, the new name for the outlawed extreme Shiite Muslim organisation Tehreek-i-Jafria Pakistan, is part of the MMA.

Under a surprise new crackdown by President Pervez Musharraf, it was banned on Saturday with two other groups which had also been outlawed in January 2002, only to reemerge under new names.
Khudamul Islam was the new name for Jaish-e-Mohammad, while Millat-e-Islamia was the new name for violent Sunni Muslim outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba.

Police swooping on the groups' offices since Saturday have arrested more than 100 of their followers and sealed 110 offices nationwide.

Islami Tehreek's leader Sajjid Naqvi was arrested on Saturday night but a spokesman for his party said the arrest was related to the murder of rival Sunni leader Azam Tariq in early October.

"The government should lift the ban and release ITP chief Sajjid Naqvi," Noorani said.
Bureau Report