NIA officials believe that PFI’s ideology is similar to that of SIMI and Indian Mujahideen, both radical outfits, which do not exist any more. But PFI’s work style is different from that of SIMI and Indian Mujahideen. PFI’s strategy appears to be to brainwash educated Muslim youths who can master technology and know about law, and with getting entangled in court cases, work for bringing “Islamic governance” in India.
I asked senior officials why PFI is not being banned. The investigating officers pointed out that the ban on SIMI in the past had no effect, and, in place of SIMI, PFI came up. PFI is registered as a social organisation, but SDPI is its political wing. Campus Front of India is the students’ wing of PFI. All these organisations are registered separately. PFI has also set up All India Imam Council for maulanas and moulvis. For converting non-Muslims to Islam, it has opened Sathya Sarini Educational and Charitable Trust in Kerala. For women, it has set up National Women’s Front. Similarly Empowerment Front of India, Rehab India Foundation, National Confederation of Human Rights and All India Lawyers Council have also been registered by PFI leadership.
The senior officers told me, since there is a plethora of organisations, it would not be wise to ban all these frontal outfits. More stress is, therefore, being laid on preventing the activities of these outfits from spreading its tentacles. Security agencies say, there are two ways of preventing anti-national activities. One, to put most of the active members behind bars, and Two, to stop the sources of funding.
While investigating, the security officials were surprised to find that PFI was getting huge amount of money from foreign sources through different channels. PFI leaders frequently visit Gulf countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq. They have also visited Turkey. They get donations from all these countries.
ED officials have found evidences of more than Rs 60 crore deposited in PFI bank accounts, out of which, it was found, nearly Rs 30 crore was deposited in cash. Last month, ED had put a freeze on 22 PFI bank accounts. Old timers in security establishment say, it is not easy to collect evidences to nail PFI leaders, because the leadership of this outfit trains its supporters and cadre on how to remove all evidences before carrying out any act.
The reactions on PFI raids were mostly superficial from mainstream political parties. Most of the parties look at PFI from the angle of their own political advantage. It was left to Home Minister Amit Shah who realized the enormity of this challenge and took a concerted action.
PFI is a strong and highly politicised organisation, which specializes in misusing digital network of the new era. It does not lack funds. When SIMI was banned, most of its leaders who went underground, resurfaced and formed PFI. The new outfit started to recruit educated youths and trained them in use of weapons and digital dominance, apart from spreading hate on social media.
PFI’s hand was behind the brutal murders of several CPI(M) and RSS workers in Kerala. In 2012, Kerala government, in an affidavit given in the High Court had alleged that PFI had a hand in at least 27 political murders. In the affidavit, the state government alleged that till 2012, PFI connection was found in at least 106 communal incidents. In 2015, 13 PFI workers were convicted and given life term imprisonment. PFI activists had dismembered the hand of a professor in Kerala for making a blasphemous remark about Prophet Mohammed.
PFI has set a deadline of 2047 for making India an Islamic country. In its Vision 2047 document, PFI has detailed steps and measures to achieve this aim. These include how to infiltrate its cadre in government jobs, in the armed forces, and in different levels of government. The nationwide swoop on PFI leaders is a timely move to put an end to anti-national forces who are engaged in subversion and want to weaken India.
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