Terrorist groups, which were banned during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf, have again become active and reopened their offices in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi.
The Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which was renamed Jamaat-ud-Dawa after it was outlawed, had an office at Salman Terrace in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, near the National Stadium, that was closed after the government banned it, reports said.
The LeT opened a temporary office at Jamia Darasat al-Islamia, opposite Safari Park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and after Musharraf's resignation on Monday, the main office at Salman Terrace has been reopened, the Daily Times reported on Thursday.
Similarly, the Jaish-e-Mohammad too reopened its office in Manghopir on Wednesday. Before it was banned, the JeM had its office in Nazimabad and that office remains closed.
The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, now known as Ahle Sunnat-waal-Jamaat Pakistan, had its headquarters at Masjid Siddique-e-Akbar near Nagan Chowrangi in north Karachi. Even after it was banned, it stayed active in the same area.
Though the office remains closed, Sipah leaders have been conducting meetings in the building for the past two days, the paper reported.
The central leader of the Sipah, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem, told Daily Times that the ban on all religious organisations, including his group, was a part of the 'American' agenda.
'The ban created hatred and anger amongst our supporters, as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan is patriotic and its leaders were chosen by the people to be members of Parliament,' said Nadeem.
Nadeem said the ban on the Sipah has been challenged in court and the case is in progress.
"The government should learn from Musharraf's mistakes and his policies should be discontinued at once and the ban on political and religious parties should be lifted," Nadeem said.
Musharraf should not be provided a safe exit as he was responsible for killings thousands of innocent Muslims, he said.
"He is a national offender and only the nation can forgive him. If the government lets him go without facing trial, it will be considered as an accomplice of the former President," he said.
The government should have announced the imposition of Shariat or Islamic law in the country on independence day as this was the prime objective for the creation of Pakistan, Nadeem added.
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