{{Short description|Umbrella coalition in Pakistan}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=February 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox political party | name = Defence of Pakistan Council | native_name = دفاعِ پاکستان کونسل | colorcode = #00401A | president = Ahmed Ludhianvi (2018-) | chairperson = Hamid-ul-Haq (2011-2025) | secretary_general = Siraj-ul-Haq | spokesperson = Abdul Rashid Ghazi (2001-2007) | foundation = 2001 (as PADC)<br/> 2011 (as DPC) | ideology = Islamism<br>Pan-Islamism<br>Conservatism<br>'''Factions:'''<br>Deobandism<br>Salafism<br>Islamic democracy<br>Ahl-i Hadith<br>Ziaism | country = Pakistan | abbreviation = DPC (2011-)<br/>PADC (2001-2011) | founder = Sami-ul-Haq<br/>Azam Tariq<br/>Abdul Rashid Ghazi<br/>Hamid Gul | successor = Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal | position = Right-wing to far-right | religion = Islam }}
The '''Difa-e-Pakistan Council''' ({{langx|ur|دفاعِ پاکستان کونسل}}, lit. ''Defence of Pakistan Council'', abbreviated as DPC) formerly named '''Pakistan-Afghanistan Defense Council''' ({{langx|ur|دفاعِ پاکستان افغانستان کونسل}}, abbreviated as PADC) is an umbrella coalition of more than 40 Pakistani Political and Religious right-wing groups.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |date=4 April 2012 |title=Pakistan protests planned over Mumbai attack 'mastermind' bounty |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9185813/Pakistan-protests-planned-over-Mumbai-attack-mastermind-bounty.html |accessdate=12 May 2018 |work=The Daily Telegraph (newspaper) |location=London}}</ref>
The coalition advocated policies such as opposition to War in Afghanistan, closing NATO supply routes to Afghanistan and rejected granting India most-favored nation status.<ref name="et20120212">{{cite news | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/335663/difa-e-pakistan-religious-right-delivers-verbal-punches-at-rally/ |title=Difa-e-Pakistan: Religious right delivers verbal punches at rally| work=The Express Tribune (newspaper)| date=13 February 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2018| first=Saba | last=Imtiaz}}</ref>
The council is an alliance of right-wing groups, some of which are banned terrorist outfits and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal was a breakaway group of the council formed in 2002.<ref>Ahutosh Misra, "Rise of Religious Parties in Pakistan," Strategic Analysis p186 (2003)</ref><ref name="Religious parties join hands to revive MMA">{{cite news |date=14 December 2017 |title=Religious parties join hands to revive MMA |url=http://nation.com.pk/14-Dec-2017/religious-parties-join-hands-to-revive-mma |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215075913/http://nation.com.pk/14-Dec-2017/religious-parties-join-hands-to-revive-mma |archive-date=15 December 2017 |access-date=22 May 2018 |publisher=The Nation (newspaper)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-02-03 |title=The very excellent Difa-e-Pakistan Council {{!}} The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/331421/the-very-excellent-difa-e-pakistan-council/ |access-date=2018-11-05 |work=The Express Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="bbc20120220">{{cite news |author=Hasan, Syed Shoaib |date=2012-02-20 |title=Resurgence of Pakistan's religious right |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17095825 |accessdate=21 February 2012 |work=BBC News}}</ref> In 2001, Sami-ul-Haq was appointed the president of the council.<ref name="et20120211">{{cite news |author=Siddiqui, Taha |date=2012-02-11 |title=Difa-e-Pakistan Part 1/2: Jihadis itch for resurgence |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/334777/difa-e-pakistan-part-12-jihadis-itch-for-resurgence/ |accessdate=15 February 2012 |work=The Express Tribune |agency=The Express Tribune News Network}}</ref>
The organization includes leaders of Jamatud Dawa (JuD) and is led by Ahmed Ludhianvi, the leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) and Fazlur Rehman Khalil, the founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, is the vice president of the council.<ref name="bbc20120220" /><ref name="timesofislamabad20160921">{{cite news |author=Local report |date=2016-09-21 |title=Difa-e-Pakistan Council announces Awami March near LOC |url=https://timesofislamabad.com/45596-2/2016/09/21/ |accessdate=17 February 2017 |work=Times of Islamabad}}</ref>
==History==
=== 2001 Establishment === In the wake of the September 11 attacks and the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan, a coalition of Pakistani political and Islamist figures established the Pakistan-Afghanistan Defense Council (PADC). The council served as a think tank and coordinating body for groups opposed to the war and founding members included figures such as Sami-ul-Haq, Hamid Gul, Azam Tariq, and Abdul Rashid Ghazi. The organization was eventually dissolved, and its leading members joined the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a unified coalition of religious parties, ahead of the 2002 general elections.<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref name="timesofislamabad20160921" />
=== 2011 Reestablishment === The organization was reestablished in November 2011 in response to the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers who were killed by American gunships and warplanes along the Afghan border.<ref name="nytimes20120709">{{cite news |author=Walsh, Declan |date=2012-07-09 |title=Pakistan Militant Leads Rally Against Supply Route Reopenings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/world/asia/gunmen-in-pakistan-kill-6-soldiers-and-a-policeman.html?smid=pl-share |accessdate=10 July 2012 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
Pakistan closed NATO supply routes to Afghanistan after the strikes but reopened the routes in July 2012 when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized. In response thousands of supporters rallied in Islamabad on 9 July 2012 in protest of the government's decision to reopen the lines.<ref name="reuters20120709">{{cite news |author=Houreld, Katharine |date=2012-07-09 |title=Thousands of Pakistanis Protest Opening of NATO Supply Route |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/07/09/world/asia/09reuters-pakistan-nato-protest.html?smid=pl-share |accessdate=10 July 2012 |work=The New York Times |agency=Reuters}}{{Dead link|date=October 2021|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
==== 2011 Members ====
According to the council's website, 36 organizations or people are part of the DPC:<blockquote>
# Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) (Sami-ul-Haq and Hamid-ul-Haq) # Jamatud Dawa (Hafiz Muhammad Saeed) # Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (Siraj-ul-Haq) # Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi) # Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Shah Ovais Noorani) # Ansar ul Ummah (Fazal-ur-Rehman Khalil) # Sunni Ittehad Council (Sahibzada Hamid Raza) # Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith (Sajid Mir) # Jamiat Ahle-Hadith (Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer) # Pakistan Ulema Council (Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi) # JUI-N (Maulana Asmatullah) # AMTKN-International (M. Ilyas Chinoti) # Muslim Conference AJK (Sardar Atiq Ahmed) # Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam (Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema) # Mohsinan-e-Pakistan (Abdul Qadeer Khan) # Pakistan Muslim League - Zia (Ijaaz ul Haq) # Awami Muslim League (Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed) # Sunni Ulema Council (Muhammad Ashraf Tahir) # Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam (Syed Muhammad Kafeel Bukhari) # AMTKN (Ismail Shujabadi) # Tehreek-e-Ittehad (Hamid Gul) # Pakistan Water Movement (Nasr) # Tehreek-e-Hurmat Rasool (Amir Hamza) # DPC Secretary Gen (Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh) # Tehreek-e-Azaadi Kashmir (Saifullah Mansoor) # Muslim League-Sher-e-Bangal (Dr. Sualeh Zahoor) # Christian Community (Yusuf) # Sikh Community (Sardar Shaam) # Hindu Community Lahore (Manohar Chand) # Hindu Community Khi (Ramesh Laal) # Jamiat Ittehad ul Ulema – Pakistan # Mutahida Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith (Naeem Badshah) # Jamiat Ashat Tauheed sunnah (Tayyab Tahiri)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.difaepakistan.com/about-us.html |title=About Us |publisher=DIFA E PAKISTAN COUNCIL OFFICIAL |work=www.difaepakistan.com |accessdate=April 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415170455/http://www.difaepakistan.com/about-us.html |archivedate=April 15, 2012 }}</ref> </blockquote>
== See also ==
* Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal * Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://tribune.com.pk/story/329982/difa-e-pakistan-council-ahead-of-40-party-rally-jud-chief-parries-questions-on-electoral-ambitions/ The Express Tribune – Difa-e-Pakistan Council: Ahead of 40-party rally, JuD chief parries questions on electoral ambitions] *[http://tribune.com.pk/story/346208/peshawar-civil-society-demands-ban-on-difa-e-pakistan/ The Express Tribune – Peshawar civil society demands ban on Difa-e-Pakistan] – 6 March 2012 *[http://www.awamiweb.com/jamiat-ulema-e-pakistan-leaves-difa-e-pakistan-council-42392.html Jamiat Ulema-E-Pakistan Leaves Difa E Pakistan Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706194049/http://www.awamiweb.com/jamiat-ulema-e-pakistan-leaves-difa-e-pakistan-council-42392.html |date=6 July 2022 }} – 22 May 2012
Category:Political party alliances in Pakistan Category:Far-right politics in Pakistan Category:Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Category:Islamist front organizations Category:Hafiz Muhammad Saeed