Pakistan mosques to be cleared of Afghan clerics

An Afghan refugee teacher admonishes a student during a religious class at a mosque


ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to take control of dozens of mosques in the Malakand region allegedly being run by Afghan clerics who have ‘direct links with the Taliban’.


The decision was taken after information about the clerics’ links with the militants was received during the military operation and interviews with some of the displaced people.

‘All (Afghan) maulvis acting as imams will be expelled from Malakand division and border areas,’ Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed, the head of the Special Group for IDPs, told reporters at an event marking the completion of 10 years of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund Programme here on Wednesday.

He said the main objective of the action was to prevent militants from regrouping in the areas cleared by security forces.

The first formal action was taken in Malakand in November last year when the district coordinating officer issued notices to more than 50 Afghan clerics to leave the agency.

A well-informed source told Dawn that Levies commanders had taken an action against these clerics but could not succeed in expelling them from the agency.

However, he said, after the recent army operation all of them had left mosques in the agency.

Ironically, the government did not take any action against the Afghan clerics before or during the operation. Troops are reported to have recently warned the people of Swat against allowing any Afghan cleric in their mosques.

Mosques in tribal areas had become attractive places for Afghan nationals after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. They received certificates from madressahs and started leading prayers. They get salaries and other benefits from local people.

According to the source, the Lower Dir administration had asked the Afghan clerics in May this year to leave the district within a week. Most of the mosques have been vacated and five clerics have been arrested.

A senior official in the district told Dawn that some Afghan clerics were still leading prayers in the area. ‘I don’t know the exact number, but there are places where the Afghan nationals are working as imams.’

He accused the local governments of obstructing efforts to get rid of the Afghan clerics.

‘It is believed that Afghan maulvis have left mosques in most villages, but their presence in remote areas cannot be ruled out,’ the source added.

After a suicide blast in a mosque in Upper Dir in May this year, the district administration had issued notices to Afghan clerics. The action led to arrest and expulsion of about 15 to 20 clerics from the district.

The action gained momentum after the arrest of Maulvi Hameedullah in Dir town.

Hameedullah had married a local woman and led prayers in a local mosque. The interrogation revealed that Hameedullah was head of the Taliban in Lower and Upper Dir. He was expelled from the district.

Dawn