Exclusive | The Many Faces of The PFI, And Those Who Feed Them

On Thursday, the extremist Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) faced a multi-agency, multi-state crackdown in which over 100 of its leaders were arrested. CNN-News18 takes a close look at the front organisations of the PFI and NGOs funding it in its alleged efforts to spread disharmony and communal tensions in India.

The PFI has 15 frontal organisations to handle ideology and affairs generated from the outfit’s headquarters:

• Campus Front of India

• National Women’s Front

• All India Imams Council (religious wing)

• Darul Kharda

• Junior Friends (children’s wing)

• Muslim Relief Network (charity outfit)

• Sathya Sarani

• Social Democratic Party of India (political wing)

• Women India Movement

• Social Democratic Trade Union

• National Lawyers Network

• Rehab India Foundation (charity outfit)

• Community Development Programmes

• Green Valley Foundation

The PFI receives funding from NGOs like:

• Shamsul Ullama Arabic College Thodar

• Shamsul Ullama Islamic Education Trust Thodar

• Saaddath Vakil Zikrswlath Majlis Trust

• Madinusaqafathil Islamiya

• Sunni Student Foundation

• Sayyad Ameer Thangal

• Spread Islam Foundation,

• Darul Ullema Saqlania

• Hope Foundation

The outfit on Thursday hit out at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the coordinated raids, calling its claims “baseless and sensationalism” that are “solely aimed at creating an atmosphere of terror”.

“Popular Front of India’s National Executive Council (NEC) has condemned the national wide raids by the NIA & ED and the unjust arrests and the harassments of its National and state leaders across India and the witch-hunting against the members, and supporters of the organization,” it said in a statement.

The outfit added: “…It will stand firm on its will for recovering the democratic system and spirit of the constitution of our beloved country.”

Top government sources have told CNN-News18 that the raids were conducted successfully without any reports of violence or tension.

Huge recoveries were made and follow-up action will be taken soon, they added.

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