Popular Front of India (PFI)& National Security

Popular Front of India (PFI)& National Security

Source: The Indian Express.

News: In a country-wide raid on the outfits of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the NIA arrested more than 100 people linked to PFI.

Factors that led to emergence of Popular Front of India (PFI):

  • Rise of Hindutva agendas in Indian politics before or after demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 .
  • Influence of political Islam after Iranian revolution in the late 1970s.
  • Ban on Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) proponent of political Islam gave birth to PFI.  

Formation of PFI:

  • PFI formed after Centre banned SIMI through the merger of National Democratic Front in Kerala, Karnataka Forum for Dignity, and Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu in 2007.
  • Unlike marginal or secretive political groups, PFI works overground.
  • Its political wing i.e.Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is active in electoral politics. 
  • PFI claims to represent the disenchanted and marginalised Muslims.

Key challenges posed by Popular Front of India(PFI):

  • Security Challenges: PFI members were involved in terrorist funding, arranging arms training camps and radicalising people into joining outlawed organisations.
  • Political Challenges: PFI utilizes violence to push its polarizing political agenda as seen from the sensational attack on Prof. T J Joseph, for allegedly defaming the Prophet or Islam.
  • Unholy nexus between political parties and PFI: Most political parties in Kerala, Karnatka and Tamil Nadu collude with PFI to gather the support of Muslims at the time of elections.
  • Difficulty faced by law enforcement agencies to hold PFI responsible for its crimes as PFI does not maintain records of its members.
  • PFI communalises electoral politics through its political outfit i.e. SDPI.
  • Other Challenges: PFI repeatedly accused of murder, rioting, intimidation and disturbing social harmony.
  • Political appeal of the PFI is based on violence and defying the rule of law appealing disenchanted and marginalised muslims.
  • Involvement in religious terrorism as it is vying for Islamisation of society through conversion.
  • Absence of legitimate political means to achieve its end: PFI articulates their politics through the perspective of Constitutional rights but their work often violates the legitimate political norms.

Way forward:

  • Coordination between States and Centre through NIA and other state agencies to address security threats posed by PFI.
  • It’s time political leadership of the country shun majoritarian politics and ensure significant muslim representation in political institutions.
  • Government should take help of muslim intelligentsia to deradicalize young muslim youtth from influence of PFI and SDPI as these organisations are interwined into social and political fabric of Kerala and parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

 

Article: The PFI challenge; Express Explained: Who are the PFI, and why are premises linked to them being searched by the NIA?

Article Link:

1.https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/nia-raids-pfi-leaders-8169319/

2.https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-politics/popular-front-of-india-nia-raids-kerala-karnataka-explained-8165781/ 

Yojna IAS  Daily current affairs eng med 26th Sep

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