New Delhi, March 25: For Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, countering the pro-Iran Shia mobilisation in the country is increasingly becoming a headache. For Pakistan, countering this mobilisation is important as it is threatening to become bigger. However, the dilemma the establishment faces is that it cannot use its official machinery to take on the mobilisation of the Shias.
Pakistan has chosen to mediate between Iran and the US, and hence it needs to remain neutral. Any direct action against the Shia mobilisation would infuriate Iran, and this is something that Islamabad wants to avoid.
An official said that Pakistan has now brought back its proxies to take on this problem. The Pakistan Army chief has ordered hardline Sunni elements and leaders from the Sipah-e-Sabah (SeS) and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) to take on the Shias who are mobilising in large numbers in support of Iran. These groups have, in the past, come to the rescue of the Pakistan establishment. When it comes to countering protesters who were seeking justice for jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, it was these elements who took to the streets.
The members of the SeS and JuD have the backing of the army and ISI and have been given a free hand to indulge in street violence against those who are questioning the establishment, an official said. (IANS)
