A profitable month
July 21, 2014
Theologically, Ramadan is all about austerity. It teaches Muslims to be pious, to stay away from evil, to fast during the day, and to donate money to the poor. 'Zakat' (which means alms-giving in Arabic) is an Islamic tradition in which Muslims give part of their earnings to those in need, particularly during this holy month.
Due to a lack of trust in state institutions, most Pakistanis prefer to donate money directly to private welfare organizations. Although quite a lot of legitimate charity bodies are doing remarkable work in the Islamic Republic, extremist groups are the ones who rake in millions of Pakistani rupees during Ramadan to fund their activities.
Observers say that banned militant organizations with links to al Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) generally become very active in Pakistan during this time as they seek charitable donations from individuals. These groups work under different names and create foundations - which appear to be legal at first glance - to solicit funds, thus making it difficult for the authorities to restrict their activities.
Prominent among these organizations are the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) and Jamat ud-Dawa (JuD), which are fronts for the blacklisted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT); Maymar Trust, a front for the banned Al-Rasheed Trust (ART); Al-Rehmat Trust, a front for Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM); Pakistan Relief Foundation, a front for the banned Al-Akhter Trust (AAT); and more than a dozen smaller groups, according to media reports.
New names, old ideologies
Arshad Mahmood, a social activist in Islamabad, says that despite being banned by the government, the militant organizations have a big following in the country, and that is why they are able to collect huge donations.
"The banned militant outfits keep a public face in the form of charity organizations. The ban does not affect their structure and their network in the society. No non-religious welfare organization can compete with these groups because people like to donate to religious bodies," Mahmood told DW, adding that this strategy enables the TTP to collect millions of dollars annually.
Mahmood adds that nowadays a number of such organizations are active in the refugee camps set up for the Internally Displaced Persons in Pakistan's northern areas. Last month, thousands of these people fled an ongoing military offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in North Waziristan.
"It's been reported that Islamabad allowed only JuD to work in these camps. No other national or international NGO can go there. JuD enjoys the state support," Mahmood said.
The Pakistani establishment, analysts say, considers these Islamist organizations an strategic asset to maintain pressure on neighboring India. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of aiding an Islamist insurgency in the Indian-Administered Kashmir through these groups, a charge Pakistan denies.
State support
JuD is an offshoot of the LeT, which was founded by Hafiz Saeed, a Pakistani cleric who has a 10 million USD bounty on his head placed by the US government in 2012. Both the LeT and JuD have been blacklisted by the United Nations as al Qaeda affiliates. Now, the Islamist leader moves freely in Pakistan in the garb of a charity worker, and even enjoys full protection of Pakistani military and intelligence officials.
Despite the ban, JuD sends out regular messages on social networks like Twitter and Facebook asking people to give donations during Ramadan.
Security analyst Ali K. Chishti says it should be a matter of concern for Pakistan that such organizations are allowed to operate freely in the country. "I know through my interaction with military generals and intelligence officials in Pakistan that they somehow use these militants as a bargaining chip with the West."
Islamabad-based journalist, Abdul Agha, says that jihadist organizations in Pakistan either receive money from Arabian countries or through bogus charity organizations. "We are talking about a large amount of money, which the militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan need to sustain a protracted insurgency. If Islamabad can't give that money directly to these organizations, it can at least allow them to operate a network of welfare bodies to generate cash," he said.