Pak banned Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamat on US directive: Ludhianvi

Islamabad, Mar 11 (ANI): The Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamat (ASWJ) has said the Pakistan government imposed a ban on it on the directives of the United States. These attempts at banning ASWJ are on the directives of the USA," The Express Tribune quoted ASWJ chairperson Maulana Ahmad Ali Ludhianvi, as saying.

"In the last few months, we have been peacefully busy in the defence of Pakistan with the Difa-e-Pakistan rallies, so which activity of ours has been a reason for the ban. Ahl-e-Sunnat is a school of thought and not an organization so we consider this as a ban on the Ahle-e-Sunnat followers," he added.

Earlier, the interior ministry's order had said the organisation has been banned for what it calls its "concerns in terrorism".

Ahle Sunnah Wal Jamaat was first banned in 2002 by the then Pakistani leader General Pervez Musharraf.

Activists from the pro-al-Qaeda group formerly known as the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP), or Soldiers of the Companions of the Prophet, have been convicted of killing hundreds of Shia Muslims.

The head of the group slammed the current ban, saying: "It's taken us so long so rein in our activists - it will become very difficult to control their emotions if the ban is enforced."

Other minorities, security targets and embassies have also been targeted by members of the group.

The group has also recently been in the forefront of an alliance of extremist groups calling for an end to the country's relationship with the US, the Defence of Pakistan Council (Difa). (ANI)