Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan

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. The original purpose was to fight Shi'ite landlords dominance in Jhang and surrounding areas in a majority Sunni population. They are operating all over Pakistan and are politically active having large vote bank in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The group's decision to cease militant activities and pursue a political path in 1996 under Ziya ur-Rahman and 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. they also changed their name to Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat. Ali Sher Haideri, led the group until he was assassinated in an ambush in 2009 on the outskirts of Khairpur, Sindh. Then Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi was selected as sarparast-e-aala with Awrangzib Faruqi as the president and chief of the organization. Faruqi took part in the 2024 Pakistani general election on NA-230. 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. They are widely organized and have more than five hundred offices throughout country. == Etymology ==

The organization was founded as Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP). 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). == Ideology and goals ==

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". == Leadership ==

• Haq Nawaz Jhangvi (September 1985 to February 22, 1990): Assassinated ==Activities==

Organizational infrastructure According to a 2004 report, the organization had 500 offices and branches in all provinces of Pakistan including Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. It also had approximately 300,000 registered workers in Pakistan and 17 branches in countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Canada and the United Kingdom. According to Jamestown Foundation reporting in 2005, the organization has a support base of tens of thousands and was estimated to include up to 6,000 "trained and professional cadres", some of whom have been implicated in sectarian violence. It is also reported to maintain around 17 branches in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Canada, and the United Kingdom, describing the SSP as "the largest and most pervasive Sunni supremacist organization in the world." Target killings and militancy According to Stanford University's "Mapping Militant Organizations" as of February 2012, the "primary methods" of Sipah-e-Sahaba 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. 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. ==Affiliations==

• In 1996 elements within the Sipah-e-Sahaba, who did not believe the organization was violent enough, left to form the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. • According to Animesh Roul, Ahle-Sunnat-Wal-Jamat (ASWJ) is a front group for Sipah-e-Sahab and was also banned in Pakistan for this until 2018. == Notes ==