Govt declares TTP ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’

ISLAMABAD: In a move to shift its war on terror from a physical to an ideological front, the government on Wednesday categorised the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as “Fitna al-Khawarij”. The government also made it mandatory for all institutions to use “Khariji” before the names of perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior.

The notification, which comes at a time when terrorists have intensified attacks on armed forces, intends to expose the real ideology of the banned militant outfits, which it asserts have “distorted the image of Islam under the guise of religion”, Geo News reported.

According to the notification, titles such as ‘Mufti’ and ‘Hafiz’ will not be used for individuals associated with terrorist organisations, while in all correspondence and documents, the term “Khariji” will be written and read before their names. The notification adds that the TTP terrorists have no genuine interest in the religion and such “corrupt elements” are referred to as “Fitna al-Khawarij”.

The ministry directed all government institutions to implement the order immediately and use the terms in their letters and documents. Subsequently, the Interior Ministry banned two more terrorist outfits, including the Gul Bahadur Group and Majeed Brigade.

The ministry approved the recommendations to ban the militant groups monitoring them for two years, according to the notification. Following the interior ministry’s nod, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) added the two groups to the proscribed organisations’ list.