NIA and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at several places in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and other states as part of a significant campaign against the PFI.

More than ten states have seen the arrests. This effort is being closely monitored by the Home Ministry as well. According to sources, two PFI members were also detained in Lucknow.

Searches are being conducted at the locations of persons who are allegedly involved in funding terrorism, setting up training camps, and radicalizing people to join banned organizations as part of the “biggest ever investigation to date”.

These searches are being carried out at the homes and workplaces of those who organize training camps, support terrorism, and radicalize individuals to join banned organizations.

Shaheen Bagh and Ghazipur in Delhi were among the locations of the arrests.

Other nine PFI-related suspects were detained by Assam Police all around the state.

“Last night, Assam police and NIA together conducted operation in the Hatigaon region, Guwahati, and detained 9 men across the state affiliated with PFI”, a senior police official informed ANI.

The searches were conducted by more than 200 NIA officers and members of the raid team. Workers from PFI and SDPI who were protesting an NIA raid in Mangaluru were detained by the Karnataka Police.

Sources informed ANI that, the NIA and ED are conducting raids at the homes of PFI leaders from midnight, including the home of OMA Salam, PFI chairman, in Manjeri, Malappuram district, as well as at PFI offices. While the raids are taking place, PFI employees have protested in front of OMA Salam’s Malappuram home.

PFI’s Kerala state General Secretary said, “NIA and ED conducted raids in various offices of PFI in Kerala. Raids are happening across 50 locations and also at the leader’s house”.

Searches have been started by NIA officials in a number of places, including Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore, Thirunelveli, and Tenkasi. These raids are being conducted at premises connected to PFI and SDPI.
The NIA is questioning Pyaz Ahmed, the PFI district head for Cuddalore, Yasser Arafat, and the Madurai district secretary.

On September 18, the NIA conducted a number of raids across various Andhra Pradesh districts, and PFI members were apprehended for questioning in relation to inciting violence and engaging in unlawful activities. A man was given a notice to appear at the NIA headquarters in Hyderabad after officials conducted a raid on a home in Telangana’s Nizamabad district. In the districts of Nizamabad, Kurnool, Guntur, and Nellore, up to 23 NIA teams conducted simultaneous searches.

PFI is a hardcore Muslim Brotherhood-influenced organization that draws its inspiration from Hamas and Palestine Jihad. The group is infamous in India for instigating violence, protesting and conspiring against the state.

Around 40-50 individuals from Kannur, Kerala, joined ISIS in Syria along with families. All happened to be PFI activists.

The Popular Front of India (PFI) was launched on 17 February 2007 at the Empower India Conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka, by the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), National Development Front (NDF), Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP) and the South India Council.

The NDF has been termed as a predecessor to PFI, including by PFI itself. The PFI’s vision, according to its website includes empowerment of Muslims with a focus on reservations in education and employment.

On ground, things are quite different.

The CPI(M) government in Kerala termed the NDF a terrorist outfit with claims that it received funding from Pakistan and Iran. In an affidavit before the Kerala High Court in 2012, the government said the PFI is nothing but the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in a resurrected form. PFI’s National Executive Council member, P. Koya held high positions in NDF and SIMI respectively. Similarly, PFI vice president EM Abdul Rahiman and E. Abubackar (NEC Member) both held top positions at SIMI.

SIMI was declared a terrorist organization and was banned in 2001 due to its involvement in terrorism. The objectives of SIMI were clear–lead life according to the Quran, propagate Islam and wage jihad. To meet the objectives, SIMI not only instigated riots but was involved in various bomb blasts. It was supported and funded by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), and the International Islamic Federation of Students’ Organizations (IIFSO), Kuwait. SIMI has links with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) units in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. SIMI was in contact with ISI and its terror fronts—Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Harkat-ul-Jehad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B).

A Central Government law enforcement official, with a track record in intelligence gathering told this researcher: “The PFI professed itself to be an egalitarian organisation for the upliftment of the Muslim community. As it gained popularity and spread in influence, its underlying radical ideology became increasingly evident”.

Members of the erstwhile SIMI learnt their lessons after facing arrests and bans. Now they have developed a strategy whereby publicly they say that they promote national integration and uphold the democratic and secular fabric of the country. However, In 2017 India Today conducted a sting operation wherein PFI’s founding member and managing editor of its mouthpiece—Gulf Thejas, Ahmed Shareef confessed to PFI’s hidden agenda of converting India into an Islamic State. To that end, it is working on mass proselytizing and receiving illegal funds through mainstream and hawala channels.

In 2013, 13 members of PFI were convicted for assault on college professor TJ Joseph where his hand was chopped off on allegations of blasphemy.

Ironically, on its website the PFI says that none of its members is accused, jailed or booked for mass murder, anti-national activity or terrorism. The reality, however, is harsher.

In 2013, PFI was found organising a training camp at Narath in Kannur, Kerala, to impart training in the use of explosives and weapons to prepare people for terror activities against India. The National Investigative Agency (NIA) took over the case under which 21 people were convicted by the NIA special court in 2016.

Around 40-50 individuals from Kannur, Kerala, joined ISIS in Syria along with families. All happened to be PFI activists. The key figure in the Kannur module was Shajahan Valluva Kandy, who had twice tried to go to Syria but was sent back along with his wife and two children. Shajahan told the NIA that he had joined ISIS to establish Islamic Shariah law in the subcontinent. Shajahan had been associated with the PFI since 2006 when the outfit was known as NDF. One of his PFI comrades, Muhammed Shameer—who had moved to Syria, had motivated him to join the ISIS.

The PFI has been involved in violence across the country. In 2012, a hate campaign was launched where bulk SMSes were sent from Pakistan in collaboration with PFI asking people of North-East India in South India to flee in retribution for Assam riots. The hostile messages caused panic among people from North-East India who also faced violence and attacks. In 2020, a Facebook post against Prophet Mohammad flared up into riots when the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the PFI, instigated people. Nearly 200 people were injured, several dead and a police station attacked.

The Central government official said: “Their acts of violence especially the attacks on a police station in Bengaluru over a social media post was a sample of what might follow. Mob violence against government functionaries is a replica of stone pelting in J&K where retaliation by the police is publicised as human rights violations against unarmed civilians”.

PFI was also named in the anti-CAA riots in which 59 people were killed and more than 200 injured. In its investigations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims that Rs 120.50 crore were credited to the accounts of PFI and there was a link between the withdrawal of money and anti-CAA demonstrations.

Reports also say that Rs 1.65 crore was given to PFI Kashmir chapter. In 2022, ED arrested PFI’s Kerala executive council member MK Ashraf in a money laundering probe. ED is probing PFI’s Indian and foreign properties which its leaders have used to launder proceeds of crime committed in India and abroad.

Recently, the Campus Front of India (CFI)—the student body organization of PFI, was involved in the 2022 Hijab row case, where it instigated school children to protest over the Hijab, which was not part of the school curriculum. The issue led to riots in Shivamoga where the PFI was found involved.

The Central Government official said: “PFI campaigns against the CAA, revocation of Article 370 in J&K and others have been aimed at political intimidation of the Central and state governments. It has run several social media campaigns which aim at drawing Muslims towards an anti-establishment drive—through apparent violent means”.

What is alarming is that the PFI, much like its predecessor SIMI, is getting external support and has met organizations affiliated to global terror organizations such as Al Qaeda.

According to a Nordic Monitor investigation, PFI officials met Turkish NGO, Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı, or İHH) on 20 October 2018. The İHH has been named as the Al Qaeda-linked Turkish charity accused of supplying arms to jihadists in Syria and Libya.

İHH is working closely with Turkish spy agency MIT to enable jihadist networks. İHH employee İbrahim Şen was running a Turkish Al-Qaeda cell and using charity as a cover to move supplies to terrorists in Syria. Şen was detained in Pakistan on alleged Al-Qaeda links and transferred to Guantanamo where he was kept till 2005 before US officials decided to turn him over to Turkey. According to intelligence documents submitted to the UN Security Council on 10 Feb, 2016, İHH supplied arms and other supplies for the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, the Al-Nusra Front.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan mobilizes İHH whenever he needs political cover in the face of public pressure and criticism. İHH has been banned in Germany and Israel due to its terror support activities.

Erdoğan has ambitions to establish the glory of Ottoman Khilafat and dominance over the Muslim world. However, that glory is incomplete without the support of South Asian Muslims. Pakistan has already been overwhelmed by Turkey, which has also shown support for Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir. According to a 2020 report by a Greek journalist, Andreas Mountzouralias and the Firat News Agency, Erdoğan plans to send mercenaries to Kashmir.

Muhammed Abu Amsha, commander of the Syrian National Army (SNA) militia—Sulayman Shah Brigades stated that Turkey wanted to relocate some units to Kashmir and volunteers would be paid $2,000. SNA is described as an auxiliary army of Turkey and has been used as mercenaries in Libya and the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

The PFI issued a statement endorsing Erdoğan after a 2016 coup attempt. The Turkish government reciprocated by promoting the PFI on the State-run Anadolu News Agency as a social group whose members were abused by the Indian police. With so much bonhomie between PFI, Turkey and Pakistan, it is highly unlikely that Turkey and Pakistan would decline the services of PFI to send money to jihadists in Kashmir.

In February 2018, Jharkhand banned PFI due to its dangerous ideology. The High Court of Jharkhand revoked the ban saying “due process” was not followed. After following the “due process”, Jharkhand again banned the PFI in February 2019. Recently, Republic TV broke the news that the Union Government is likely to ban the PFI. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that it has ample evidence to ban PFI. Even in 2021, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the Supreme Court that the Centre is in the process of banning the PFI.

Given its track record—involvement in riots, illegal financial transactions, proximity to global terror organizations and countries hostile to India, chances are high that the PFI will be banned. But the bigger issue is its dangerous ideology as individuals can start a new front under another name. SIMI was formed in 1977 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, and PFI in Bengaluru, Karnataka in 2007. Despite a gap of 30 years, their founding members remained the same along with their anti-India ideology. But their strategy and tactics have become sophisticated and kept pace with changing times.

The Central Government official adds: “The PFI should be banned in a comprehensive manner. Its offices, bank accounts and related establishments should be sealed. Its leadership, prominent members and violence mongers should be arrested. Finally, it should be declared as a terror organisation with a UN-designated worldwide ban”.

Article first published in India Narrative.

General Secretary of AIMPLB Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani issued a statement, which mentions, “The issue of women’s hijab got ignited like a spark from a town in Karnataka, and soon it spread to the rest of the country. Now the situation is very critical. Perhaps, on the other hand, extremist groups have made it a topic to incite hatred against Muslims, and young students are affected by it”.

“In such a situation, a special meeting of the Legal Committee of the Board and some members of the executive was held, in which it was decided that the issue should be resolved through legal procedures and negotiations instead of bringing it on the road”, it added.

It further stated that the board has decided that a legal battle will be fought in the High Court, either by those who have already become parties, to pursue the case together with them, or the Board will become a direct party.

Currently, the board is in constant touch with the lawyers who are presenting the views of the Muslims in the Karnataka High Court.

“If the issue is not solved in Karnataka High Court, Supreme Court will be approached”, the statement said.

During the course of events, board has strictly instructed its members and volunteers to refrain from participating and leading the protest rallies, and to stay cautious before making any statement in the media and TV debates without the permission of the board.

Moulana Rehmani expressed his concerns that, the issue may take the shape of Babri Mosque dispute which led to communal riots and civil unrest.

“I request you to refrain from any such act for the time being. Control your emotions and make Dua (prayers)”, he said. “Otherwise, there is a chance of loss compared to the benefit. There is a danger of confrontation between Hindu-Muslim students and teachers in educational institutions in every village and town”.

Meanwhile, the extremist Islamist organization Popular Front Of India (PFI) held a “unity” march in Rajasthan on Thursday. Its General Secretary Anis Ahmed threatened the Indian administration that PFI will take out protest rallies throughout India till 15th August 2022. However, majority of the Muslim groups and organizations have not come out to express support toward PFI’s radical intent.