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Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan

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Sipah-e-Sahaba
سپاہِ صحابہ
Also known asMillat-e-Islamiyya (MI) and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama'at (ASWJ)
FoundersHaq Nawaz Jhangvi X
Isar ul Haq Qasmi X
Zia ur Rehman Farooqi X
Azam Tariq X
Political leaderMoavia Azam Tariq
SarparastAhmed Ludhianvi
Ali Sher Hyderi  X
President and ChiefAwrangzib Faruqi
Split fromJamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Split toLashkar-e-Jhangvi
Active regionsPakistan
Ideology
StatusActive (Banned in Pakistan from 2002 till 2018)
Opponents
Battles and wars
OrganizationPakistan Rah-e-Haq Party
ColorsBlack, White, Red, green
    

The Sipah-e-Sahaba (SeS or SSP),[a][b] now known as the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama'at[1][2][3][4] (ASWJ)[c] is a Sunni Islamist Deobandi organization in Pakistan.[5] Founded by Pakistani Islamic scholar Haq Nawaz Jhangvi in 1985 after breaking away from Sunni Deobandi party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, it is based in Jhang, Punjab, but has offices in all of Pakistan's provinces and territories.[6][7]

The group was founded as an Islamist militia. It later transitioned into a political party before being banned and designated as a terrorist organization by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 2002.[6]

Before 2018 Pakistani general election, the Pakistani government lifted a ban on the organization and removed the terrorist designation for affiliated officials.[8][9][10][11] It has significant support in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as in Southern/coastal Sindh in Karachi. The organization was also banned by the United Kingdom, where there is a significant Pakistani diaspora population, in 2001.[12] The group has held seats in the Government in Punjab and Pakistan National Assembly.[7][13]

The organization's current political front is the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party, under which they contested in the 2018 general election, 2020 Gilgit–Baltistan Assembly election and the 2024 general election.[14]

1985-1988
Rah-e-Haq party flag

History

[edit]

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan was formed in 1985 by Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, Ziya ur-Rahman Faruqi, Isar-ul-Haq Qasmi, Azam Tariq in 1985 originally as Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba in Jhang, Pakistan.[13][15][16][5]

The original purpose was to fight Shi'ite landlords dominance in Jhang and surrounding areas in a majority Sunni population.[15] Later, they became violent and started to attack Shi'ite Muslims.[15] From 1980s, they are involved in various militant activities, during which they had killed hundreds of Shias throughout Pakistan. They are operating all over Pakistan and are politically active having large vote bank in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).[15] They are widely organized and have more than five hundred offices throughout country.[15][5] A leader of the organization was a minister in the coalition Government in Punjab in 1993 and the group has held seats in the Pakistan National Assembly.[7][13]

The organization's leadership has been subject to a series of assassinations. Founder Haq Nawaz Jhangvi was killed by Shi'a militants in 1990; his successor, Isar ul-Haq Qasmi, was assassinated a year later in 1991. The next leader, Zia ur Rehman Farooqi, was killed in a bomb explosion at the Lahore Session Court on 19 January 1997,[13] after which leadership passed to Azam Tariq.[17]

The group's decision to cease militant activities and pursue a political path in 1996 under Azam Tariq led to internal dissent. A significant faction of hardline members, opposing this shift, splintered from the group to establish the more radical Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.[15]

In 2002, Pervez Musharraf government declared the group as terrorist organization and banned it.[15] However, later, they renamed it and relaunched it under the name of Millat-e-Islamiyya Pakistan.[15][5] They were again banned in 2003.[15]

Azam Tariq was also assassinated along with four others on 6 October 2003 in an attack widely attributed to the Shi'a militant organization Sipah-e-Muhammad.[7][13] After his assassination, Ali Sher Hyderi was selected as the president and Khalifa Abdul Qayyum was appointed as sarparast-e-aala (Patron).[18] they also changed their name to Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat.[5] At least as of 2014 it was still using ASWJ.[4][19]

Variant of the flag used between 2002 and 2005, when the party was banned and operated under the name Millat-e-Islamiyya.

Ali Sher Haideri, led the group until he was assassinated in an ambush in 2009 on the outskirts of Khairpur, Sindh.[20] Then Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi was selected as sarparast-e-aala with Awrangzib Faruqi as the president and chief of the organization.[21][22] Faruqi took part in the 2024 Pakistani general election on NA-230.[23]

The group operates throughout Pakistan and maintains political activity across several regions. It holds a particularly strong political base in Jhang, led by its primary political leader, Moavia Azam, and in Karachi, where its leadership was initially held by Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem and Salim Khatri before being passed to Aurangzaib Farooqi. The organization also commands a significant vote bank in the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[15][24][25] They are widely organized and have more than five hundred offices throughout country.[15][5] The founder's son, Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, was also a member of the Punjab Assembly, serving from January 2017 until May 2018.[26]

Etymology

[edit]

The organization was founded as Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP).[d] It has undergone several name changes, particularly in response to legal bans. Following a state ban in 2002, it operated as Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan until 2005, after which it reorganized under its current name, Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ).[1][7][27]

Ideology and goals

[edit]

The SSP is driven by a rigid interpretation of Deobandi Islam that considers Shias and non-Deobandi Sunnis heretical. "If Islam is to be established in Pakistan," SSP leader Azam Tariq once said, "then Shias must be declared infidels".[5]

Leadership

[edit]

Activities

[edit]

Target killings and militancy

[edit]

According to Stanford University's "Mapping Militant Organizations" as of February 2012, the "primary methods" of Sipah-e-Sahaba

are targeted killings of prominent Shias – including political activists, doctors, businessmen and intellectuals.[29] In addition to targeting Shias, the SSP has also been implicated in attacks on members of the Ahmadi sect and followers of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam. The SSP's actions have spurred a cycle of violence and assassinations and several of its leaders have been killed – including Haq Nawaz Jhangvi in 1990, Isar ul-Qasmi in 1991, Zia ul-Rehman Farooqi in 1997, and Azam Tariq in 2003.[5]

Sipah-e-Sahaba was commonly connected to attacks including massacres, targeted killings, and inspiring lone wolf terrorist attacks against Shias, Ahmadis, and even rival Barelvi Sunnis.[5]

Sipah-e-Sahaba was alleged to have involved in the 1998 killing of Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan.[30][31]

Sipah-e-Sahaba was involved in many conflicts on the side of Sunni Islamists including the Soviet–Afghan War, Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), Afghan Civil War (1996–2001), War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), Taliban insurgency, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Insurgency, Balochistan Insurgency, Kashmir insurgency, MQM militancy, and the Sectarian violence in Pakistan. It was known, (in these conflicts), for gathering Pakistani volunteers, particularly from Pakistan's Eastern provinces, and also for its anti-Shia rhetoric and activities.[31][32][13][33]

Publications

[edit]

Its regular publications include the monthlies Khilafat-e-Rashida, Aab-e-Hayat and Genius.[34]

Affiliations

[edit]
  • In 1996 elements within the Sipah-e-Sahaba, who did not believe the organization was violent enough, left to form the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.[13]
  • In October 2000, Masood Azhar, founder of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed, was quoted as saying that "Sipah-e-Sahaba stands shoulder to shoulder with Jaish-e-Muhammad in Jihad."[13] A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable described Jaish-e-Mohammed as "another Sipah-e-Sahaba breakaway Deobandi organization."[33]
  • A diplomatic cable, originally dated 23 October 2009 and later leaked to the media, from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad indicated that Qari Hussain, a leading militant of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, had roots in the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba and that many of the Taliban's foot soldiers are from Sipah-e-Sahaba ranks.[33]
  • According to Animesh Roul, Ahle-Sunnat-Wal-Jamat was a front group for Sipah-e-Sahaba, and was also banned in Pakistan for this, until 2018.[27]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Urdu: سپاہِ صحابہ, lit. 'Army of the Prophet's Companions'
  2. ^ briefly known as the Millat-e-Islamiyya (MeI) from 2002 to 2005
  3. ^ Urdu: اہل سنت والجماعت, lit. 'The People of the Sunnah'
  4. ^ also known as Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba (ASSP)

References

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  1. ^ a b Hashim, Alia Chughtai,Asad. "Pakistan-Mainstreaming-hardliners". Al Jazeera.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Report, Recorder (28 June 2025). "Martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Umar (RA): ASWJ organises major rally". Brecorder.
  3. ^ "Pakistan: ASWJ announces protests across 60 locations in Karachi starting today". The Economic Times. 31 December 2024. ISSN 0013-0389.
  4. ^ a b Rafiq, Arif (November 2014). "Pakistan's Resurgent Sectarian War" (PDF). United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "MAPPING MILITANT ORGANIZATIONS. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan". Stanford University. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b B. Raman, "Musharraf's Ban: An Analysis", South Asia Analysis Group, Paper no. 395, 18 January 2002
  7. ^ a b c d e "Pakistan: The Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP), including its activities and status (January 2003 – July 2005)". Refworld. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 26 July 2005. PAK100060.E. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Govt lifts ban on ASWJ, unfreezes assets of its chief Ahmed Ludhianvi". The Express Tribune. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Pakistan removes ASWJ leader Ahmed Ludhianvi from terrorist watchlist". Samaa TV. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Pakistan removes radical Sunni leader Maulana Ludhianvi from terrorist watchlist ahead of election". Hindustan Times. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. ^ Hasan, Syed Shoaib (9 March 2012). "Pakistan bans Ahle Sunnah Wal Jamaat Islamist group". BBC News. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Police probe Scottish mosque figures' links to banned sectarian group". BBC News Online. 31 March 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan". SATP. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Ominous signs: the rise of Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party". Ominous signs: the rise of Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party. The News International. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) - Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  16. ^ Sohail Mahmood (1995). Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan, Egypt and Iran. Vanguard. p. 434. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Azam Tariq gunned down in Islamabad". Dawn.com. 7 October 2003. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  18. ^ "Ex-lawmaker Abdul Qayyum passes away | TNN". 18 October 2014.
  19. ^ Group, International Crisis (2022). A New Era of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan. International Crisis Group. pp. Page 8–Page 14. Retrieved 20 July 2023. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  20. ^ "Leader of banned Pakistan militant group shot dead". Reuters. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  21. ^ "ASWJ local leader killed in Rawalpindi, central leader attacked in Karachi". DAWN.COM. 15 February 2015.
  22. ^ Kalbe Ali; Munawer Azeem (29 March 2017). "Ludhianvi hopeful of ASWJ's 'unbanning'". DAWN. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  23. ^ Tanoli, Ishaq (15 January 2024). "581 vying for 22 National Assembly seats in Karachi". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  24. ^ Abi-Habib, Maria; Baloch, Shah Meer; ur-Rehman, Zia (17 July 2018). "Violent Extremist or Political Candidate? In Pakistan Election, You Can Be Both". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Testing the waters: First-timers ASWJ confident of victory". The Express Tribune. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  26. ^ Web Desk (1 December 2016). "Jhangvi wins Punjab by-election". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  27. ^ a b Roul, Animesh (26 June 2015). "Growing Islamic State Influence in Pakistan Fuels Sectarian Violence". Terrorism Monitor. 13 (13). Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  28. ^ "Failure to arrest Maulana Adil's killers: Religious groups consider 'wheel-jam strike'". The News International newspaper. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  29. ^ Hassan Abbas, Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror (New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 2005), p. 167; Amir Mir, The True Face of Jehadis (Lahore: Mashal Books, 2004), pp. 171-2.
  30. ^ Riedel, Bruce (2010). The Search for Al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future (2nd Revised ed.). Brookings Institution. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-8157-0451-5.
  31. ^ a b Gutman, Roy (2008). How We Missed the Story: Osama Bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan. Institute of Peace Press. pp. 142. ISBN 978-1-60127-024-5.
  32. ^ Laurent Gayer (2014). Karachi: Laurent Gayer Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-935444-3.
  33. ^ a b c "2009: Southern Punjab extremism battle between haves and have-nots". DAWN. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  34. ^ Muhammad Amir Rana, "Jihadi Print Media in Pakistan: An Overview" in Conflict and Peace Studies, vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct-Dec 2008), p. 4
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