Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan

History

Main article: Sectarian violence in Pakistan

Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani with his colleagues separated from Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan and formed the Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan in 1993 or 1994 in order to protect Shia Muslim community of Pakistan and to counter sectarian violence against the Pakistani Shia Muslims orchestrated by Takfiri deobandi groups such as Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, It is involved in the assassination of sectarian clerics, activist's and other figures that are responsible for the anti-Shia violence in Pakistan.

The formation of Sipah-e-Muhammad was part of a growing wave of Violent anti-shia incidents in Pakistan since 1980s by the sectarian Salafi, Wahabhi, Deobandi and Barelvi groups. Specifically, Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi which played a significant role in instigating and carrying out attacks on Shia Muslims in Pakistan. At the end of 1989 following the assassination of top Anti-Shia sectarian cleric Haq Nawaz Jhangvi by suspected Shia militants sparked the armed sectarian conflict in Pakistan between the Shiites and Sunnis all over the country, as Shia Muslim community also picked up arms and formed militias for self-defence in order to protect themselves from the Anti-Shia sectarian groups.

According to Moulana Munawwar Abbas Alvi, a close colleague of Yazdani and founding member of the Sipah-e-Muhammad: {{blockquote|"The Shia youth would have not picked up the weapons if they never have experienced insecurity and persecution from the sectarian groups during the 1980s because the government had failed to provide proper protection to the patriotic Shia Muslims of Pakistan and sectarian groups were operating in the country without any restrictions, so we had no choice other than forming militant organizations for self-defence. Our fight is against sectarian terror groups, not the State of Pakistan, nor our anti-sectarianist Sunni brothers".

It is alleged that the Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan is the armed wing of Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan, The main Shiite political party of Pakistan. Its leader was Ghulam Raza Naqvi who was imprisoned in 1996 and released in 2014. Since his death in 2016, it is unclear who leads the group.

It was alleged Yazdani's nephew Malik Muhammad Wasi-ul-Baqir was attempting to take control of Sipah-e-Muhammad.

Activities

Aim

Sipah-e-Muhammad's primary aim was to target the sectarian leadership of the banned Deobandi terrorist organizations Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in retaliatory actions for targeting Shia Muslim community. However, with the subsequent rise in the violence against Shia Muslims, it claimed to have been reforming.

Target killings and militancy

According to a Mapping Militant Organizations writing from Stanford University, the "primary methods" of Sipah-e-Muhammad are targeted killings of prominent Anti-Shia figures – the notable targets of such killings of Sipah-e-Muhammad are Zia ur Rehman Farooqi, Azam Tariq, Riaz Basra and Ali Sher Hyderi including Masood ur Rehman Usmani and Salim Khatiri. The top leaders of Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were targeted by the Sipah-e-Muhammad for their beliefs and activities against the Shia Muslim community of Pakistan.

Arrests of members

On the 3rd of August, 2024, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab arrested 3 people who were associated with 3 separate banned organizations from 3 separate locations, in order to thwart what they called "a significant terror plot". These were:

• Abdul Wahab from Chakwal who was associated with LeJ (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi).
• Saifullah from Faisalabad who was associated with ISPP (Islamic State – Pakistan Province).
• Khurram Abbas from Khushab who was associated with SMP (Sepah-e-Muhammad Pakistan).

The CTD recovered large caches of prohibited materials from the arrested, including 1,625 grams of explosives, three hand grenades, two IED bombs, three detonators, eight feet of safety fuse wire, 12 pamphlets, 10 stickers, and Rs 22,250 in cash.

Headquarters

The movement had strong presence in the Shia communities in Pakistan, especially in the Shia-majority town of Thokar Niaz Beg in Lahore where it ran a "virtual state within a state" mainly in the 1990s. The group had established a stronghold of where it was headquartered in Thokar Niaz Beg in the 1990s until the collapse of its presence there by 2007 or 2010.

Affiliations

Main article: Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

Sipah-e-Muhammad was alleged to have ties with Iran.

Designation

The Government of Pakistan designated Sipah-e-Muhammad a terrorist organization in 2002. It was classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law, and its finances are blocked worldwide by the US government.

References

References

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2. "MAPPING MILITANT ORGANIZATIONS. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan".
3. "Institute for the Study of War".
4. Ravinder Kaur. (5 November 2005). "Religion, Violence and Political Mobilisation in South Asia". SAGE Publications.
5. (25 April 2024). "The interesting timing of Pakistan's Zainebiyoun designation amid Iran-Israel standoff". Middle East Monitor.
6. Robillard, Michael. (2021). "Global Jihadist Terrorism: Terrorist Groups, Zones of Armed Conflict and National Counter-Terrorism Strategies". Edward Elgar Publishing.
7. "Islami Tehreek Pakistan - ITP, Political Party Profile & Members Details".
8. "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'".
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10. Jamestown Foundation [http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=323 Sipah-e-Sahaba: Fomenting Sectarian Violence in Pakistan]. Jamestown Foundation
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13. Daily Times.com [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_7-4-2004_pg7_28 Vengeance, frictions reviving LJ and Sipah-e-Muhammad]. April 7th, 2004
14. Rauf, Sajid. (2023-03-23). "Another religious scholar killed in targeted attack".
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16. Saifullah. (2024-08-03). "Punjab CTD Arrests 3 Suspects with Explosives".
17. Ravinder Kaur. (5 November 2005). "Religion, Violence and Political Mobilisation in South Asia". SAGE Publications.
18. (2023-05-04). "The Role of Armed Non-State Actors in Iran's Syria Strategy: A Case Study of Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun Brigades". Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies.