Qasmi was born in 1964 to a family which migrated from
Ambala and settled in
Samundri, Punjab, at the Partition, with a father who worked in the
Middle East for years (like many SSP members). He was educated in three madrasas in
Lahore, and at first pursued a business career but then decided to become
khatib (preacher) in an
Okara mosque from 1985 onward, where he also established a madrasa, and he would soon gain a reputation for his clashes with the local police, before moving to
Jhang at the request of
Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, to preach in one of the market-towns of the district. His family was
Punjabi Rajput. == Political career ==