Pakistan jails former leader of banned group
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 October 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistan jails former leader of banned group, 5 October 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813c1e15.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 05, 2015
A Pakistani antiterrorism court has sentenced the former leader of a banned party to six months in jail for hate speech.
Mufti Tanveer Alam Farooqi, a former leader within the anti-Shi'ite organization Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASJW), was jailed on October 5 for six months and fined 50,000 rupees ($480) by a Rawalpindi court.
The ASJW is considered the political entity of the extremist Lashkar-e Jhangvi, which is behind numerous deadly attacks on Pakistan's minority Shi'a population.
ASJW was officially banned in 2012 but was still allowed to hold rallies and gatherings around Pakistan until this summer.
Much of the leadership of Lashkar-e Jhangvi was wiped out in a battle with police in the eastern city of Lahore in June.
Pakistan has cracked down on sectarian groups under an antiterrorism plan initiated after a December attack by the Taliban on a Peshawar school killed 153 people, mostly children.
Based on reporting by AFP and Pakistani media
Link to original story on RFE/RL website