A Department of Homeland Security Emeritus Center of Excellence led by the University of Maryland

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Narrative

 

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

Last Update

May 2015

Aliases

LeJ, Army of Jhangvi, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami

History

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) is a Sunni extremist group founded in 1996 in Pakistan.[1] The group seeks to transform Pakistan into a Sunni state by violent means, targeting the nation’s Shiite minority and furthering the sectarian violence within the already intense Sunni-Shiite conflict.[2] The LeJ originally formed as a splinter of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a similar sectarian extremist organization, after members began to feel the SSP had strayed too far from the ideals of its late co-founder, Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi.[3] These founding members and leaders of the LeJ’s radical movement include Riaz Basra, Malik Ishaq, and Akram Lahori, with Ishaq still maintaining power over the organization today.[4]

The group’s violent tactics have gained international attention, and the group is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union, as well as their home base, Pakistan.[5] The group has collaborated with other radical organizations, such as the Taliban and al-Qa’ida, including fighting alongside the organizations throughout the 1990s. Such relationships enhanced the group’s level of threat to enemies, making them one of the deadliest organizations in Pakistan despite their small scale and limited membership.[6] Little is known about the financing of the group; however, it has been concluded through reports of jailed militants that the LeJ receives funding from other violent groups in Saudi Arabia.[7] The Sunni-Wahabi sheikdoms of the Middle East that share in the same goal of eliminating the Shiite presence in the Middle East also serve as a monetary source.[8] While the organization has remained out of the spotlight in recent years, having not committed any major publicized attacks since 2010, they remain an active threat.[9]

Home Base

Pakistan[10]

Founding Year

1996[11]

Ideology

Religious-Islamist-Sunni-Salafist[12]

Specific Goals

  • The LeJ aims to establish Pakistan as a Sunni Islamic state.[13]

Political Activity

None.

Financing

  • Donations: In 1997, several members of LeJ were arrested and confessed that the organization received funding from donations of Saudi Arabian citizens.[14]

Leadership and Structure over Time

  • LeJ is organized into small cells of 5-8 people.[15]
  • Founders: Riaz Basra, Malik Ishaq, and Akram Lahori.[16]
  • 1996-2002: Riaz Basra took initial control of the group until his death at which time he was succeeded by Lahori, who remained in control until being arrested in 2002.[17]
  • 2002-Present: Malik Ishaq now serves as the leader of the LeJ.
  • Other known influential members of the LeJ include Matiur Rehman, Qari Mohammad Zafar, and Mufti Abuzar Khanjari.[18]

Strength

  • 2001: Several dozen.[19]
  • 2003: Less than 100.[20]
  • 2004: 300.[21]
  • 2005: 300.[22]
  • 2006: 300.[23]
  • 2007: 300.[24]
  • 2008: 300.[25]
  • 2009: Less than 100.[26]
  • 2010: Less than 100.[27]
  • 2011: Low hundreds.[28]
  • 2012: Low hundreds.[29]
  • 2013: Low hundreds.[30]

Allies and Suspected Allies

  • Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) (founding group)
    • LeJ was founded in 1995 by Riaz Basra, former SSP information secretary.[31]
    • LeJ and SSP are believed to have jointly participated in a massacre in the Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan in August 1998.[32]
  • Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) (ally)
    • JeM and LeJ collaborated on the kidnapping and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl.[33]
  • Taliban (ally)
    • The Taliban has provided sanctuary and training camps to LeJ in Afghanistan.[34]
  • Haqqani Network (ally)
    • The U.S. State Department described the groups as cooperating in Afghanistan as recently as 2013.[35]
  • Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) (ally)
    • LeJ and the TTP work closely together in Pakistan, including joint attacks since 2009 and LeJ targeting tribes opposing the TTP.[36]
  • Al-Qa’ida (ally)[37]
    • LeJ was described as "loosely linked" to al-Qa'ida during the leadership of Riaz Basra and has subsequently been described as an affiliate of al-Qa’ida.[38]

Rivals and Enemies

  • Pakistan (target)
    • LeJ's expressed purpose is to replace Pakistan's government with a Sunni religious state.[39]
    • Pakistan's government has listed LeJ as a Designated Terrorist Organization.[40]
    • The government blames LeJ for an assassination attempt of prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999,[41] as well as the bombing that killed prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.[42]
    • LeJ has staged multiple high-profile attacks on Pakistani Shiites.[43]
  • United States (target)
    • LeJ is connected to the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl in 2002.[44]

Counterterrorism Efforts

None reported

United States Government Designations

  • Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), January 2003.[45]
  • Specially Designated Global Terrorist: Malik Ishaq, February 2014.[46]

Other Governments’ Designations

  • Pakistan (August 2001): Designated Terrorist Organization.[47]
  • Canada: Designated Terrorist Organization.[48]
  • United Kingdom: Designated Terrorist Organization.[49]
  • European Union: Designated Terrorist Organization.[50]
 

[1] Mariam Mufti ,“Religion and Militancy in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 2012, http://csis.org/files/publication/120709_Mufti_ReligionMilitancy_Web.pdf

[2] Khan, M Ilyas. 2013. “Formidable Power of Pakistan’s Anti-Shia Militants.” Online News. BBC News. January 12. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20983153.

[3] Nasr, Seyyed Vali Reza. 2002. “Islam, the State and the Rise of Sectarian Militancy in Pakistan.” In Pakistan: Nationalism Without A Nation, 85–114. New York: Zed Books.

[4] Farooqi, Asif. 2013. “Profile: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Online News. BBC News. January 11. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982987.

[5] BBC. 2003. “Pakistani Group Joins US Terror List.” BBC News, January 30, sec. South Asia. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2711239.stm; Public Safety Canada. 2014. “Currently Listed Entities: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi (LJ).” Listed Terrorist Entities. November 20. http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-eng.aspx#2036;Directorate of Legal Research. 2007. European Union: Lists of Terrorist Persons or Organizations. Report for Congress 2007-03957. Washington, DC: Law Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/law/help/EUTerroristLists.pdf; SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm.

[6] SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm.

[7] Georgy, Michael. 2012. “Special Report: Pakistan’s Threat within - the Sunni-Shia Divide.” Reuters, October 24. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/24/us-pakistan-militants-idUSBRE89N00W20121024.

[8] Nasr, S V R. 2000. “The Rise of Sunni Militancy in Pakistan: The Changing Role of Islamism and the Ulama in Society and Politics.” Modern Asian Studies 34 (1): 139–80. http://www.jstor.org/stable/313114; Abbas, Hassan. 2004. Pakistan’s Drift Into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America’s War on Terror. New York: M E Sharpe.

[9] Abbas, Hassan. 2009. “Defining the Punjabi Taliban Network.” CTC Sentinel, April. https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/defining-the-punjabi-taliban-network; Perlez, Jane. 2009. “Pakistan Attacks Show Tighter Militant Links.” The New York Times, October 16, sec. International / Asia Pacific. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/world/asia/16pstan.html.

[10] Farooqi, Asif. 2013. “Profile: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Online News. BBC News. January 11. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982987.

[11] Dauf Khattak, “A Profile of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Leader Malik Ishaq,” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, January 14, 2013. https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/a-profile-of-lashkar-i-jhangvi-leader-malik-ishaq.

[12] SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm.

[13] Farooqi, Asif. 2013. “Profile: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Online News. BBC News. January 11. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982987.

[14] SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm.

[15] Attorney-General, Australia. 2015. “Lashkar-E Jhangvi.” Australian National Security. March 3. http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.aspx.

[16] Hussain, Zahid. 2007. Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam. London: I B Tauris.

[17] B. Raman, “Taliban & LEJ Send Strong Message to Kayani & Pasha,” International Terrorism Monitor, Paper No. 628 (March 2010).

[18] B. Raman, “Taliban & LEJ Send Strong Message to Kayani & Pasha,” International Terrorism Monitor, Paper No. 628 (March 2010).

[19] SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm; Abbas, Hassan. 2004. Pakistan’s Drift Into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America’s War on Terror. New York: M E Sharpe.

[20] U.S. Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003, Appendix B -- Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, April 29, 2004, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2003/31711.htm

[21] “Selected Non-State Armed Groups,” Military Balance 104 (2004): 362-377, doi: 10.1080/725292356

[22] “Non-State Armed Groups,” Military Balance 105 (2005): 421-434, doi: 10.1080/04597220500387720

[23] “Non-State Armed Groups,” Military Balance 106 (2006): 417-434, doi: 10.1080/04597220600782978

[24] “Non-State Armed Groups,” Military Balance 107 (2007): 421-438, doi: 10.1080/04597220601167872

[25] “Non-State Armed Groups,” Military Balance 108 (2008): 461-482, doi: 10.1080/04597220801912960

[26] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, Terrorist Organizations, August 5, 2010, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2009/140900.htm

[27] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2010, Terrorist Organizations, August 18, 2011, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2010/170264.htm

[28] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2011, Terrorist Organizations, July 31, 2012, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2011/195553.htm

[29] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2012, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, May 30, 2013, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2012/209989.htm  

[30] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2013, Foreign Terrorism Organizations, April 2014, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/

[31] Irfani, Suroosh. 2004. “Pakistan’s Sectarian Violence: Between the ‘Arabist Shift’and Indo-Persian Culture.” In Religious Radicalism and Security in South Asia, 147–70. http://www.apcss.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/PDFs/Edited%20Volumes/ReligiousRadicalism/PagesfromReligiousRadicalismandSecurityinSouthAsiach7.pdf; Hussain, Zahid. 2007. Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam. London: I B Tauris.

[32] Irfani, Suroosh. 2004. “Pakistan’s Sectarian Violence: Between the ‘Arabist Shift’and Indo-Persian Culture.” In Religious Radicalism and Security in South Asia, 147–70. http://www.apcss.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/PDFs/Edited%20Volumes/ReligiousRadicalism/PagesfromReligiousRadicalismandSecurityinSouthAsiach7.pdf.

[33] Mariam Mufti ,“Religion and Militancy in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 2012, http://csis.org/files/publication/120709_Mufti_ReligionMilitancy_Web.pdf

[34] Farooqi, Asif. 2013. “Profile: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Online News. BBC News. January 11. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982987.

[35] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2013, Foreign Terrorism Organizations, April 2014, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/

[36] U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2010, Terrorist Organizations, August 18, 2011, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2010/170264.htm; U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2012, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, May 30, 2013, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2012/209989.htm

[37] Nasr, S V R. 2000. “The Rise of Sunni Militancy in Pakistan: The Changing Role of Islamism and the Ulama in Society and Politics.” Modern Asian Studies 34 (1): 139–80. http://www.jstor.org/stable/313114;  Khan, M Ilyas. 2013. “Formidable Power of Pakistan’s Anti-Shia Militants.” Online News. BBC News. January 12. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20983153; SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm; U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2013, Foreign Terrorism Organizations, April 2014, http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2013/

[38] Roul, Animesh. 2005. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi: Sectarian Violence in Pakistan and Ties to International Terrorism.” The Jamestown Foundation, June 3. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=497.

[39] Farooqi, Asif. 2013. “Profile: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Online News. BBC News. January 11. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982987.

[40] Shah, M. Nadeem. 2014. “Evolution of Sectarianism in Pakistan: A Threat to the State and Society.” Evolution 29 (2): 443–61. http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/7._Evolution_of_sectarianism_v29_no2_2014.pdf; SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm.

[41] McCarthy, Rory. 2002. “Death by Design.” The Guardian, May 17. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/17/worlddispatch.pakistan.

[42] Walsh, Declan. 2013. “Blasts in Pakistan Kill Scores and Raise Fears Over Elections.” The New York Times, January 10. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/world/asia/pakistan-blast-quetta-swat-valley-elections.html; CNN. 2007. “Pakistan: Fractured Skull Killed Bhutto.” Online News. CNN News. December 28. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/pakistan.friday/.

[43] Baloch, Shezad. 2011. “Sectarian Atrocity: 29 Killed in Mastung, Quetta Ambushes.” Online News. The Express Tribune. September 20. http://tribune.com.pk/story/256419/gunmen-attack-bus-in-balochistan-20-killed/; Lashkar, Rezaul H. 2011. “28 Shia Muslims Shot Dead by Lashkar Militants in Pakistan.” Online News. DNA India. September 20. http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-28-shia-muslims-shot-dead-by-lashkar-militants-in-pakistan-1589572; Shahid, Saleem. 2012. “Lashkar-I-Jhangvi Claims Responsibility: 13 Lives Lost in Brutal Attack on Shia Pilgrims.” Online News. Dawn. June 28. http://www.dawn.com/2012/06/28/lashkar-i-jhangvi-claims-responsibility-13-lives-lost-in-brutal-attack-on-shia-pilgrims/.

[44] Roul, Animesh. 2005. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi: Sectarian Violence in Pakistan and Ties to International Terrorism.” The Jamestown Foundation, June 3. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=497.

[45] “Pakistani Group Joins US Terror List.” BBC News, January 30, 2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2711239.stm.

[46] US Department of State. 2014. “Terrorist Designations of Lashkar I Jhangvi and Malik Ishaq.” Media Note. US Department of State. February 6. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/02/221398.htm.

[47] SATP. 2015. “Lashkar-E-Jhangvi.” Research Group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Accessed May 14. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm.

[48] Public Safety Canada. 2014. “Currently Listed Entities: Lashkar-E-Jhangvi (LJ).” Listed Terrorist Entities. November 20. http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-eng.aspx#2036.

[49] Home Office, and James Brokenshire. 2013. Proscribed Terror Groups or Organisations. London: UK Home Office. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2.

[50] Directorate of Legal Research. 2007. European Union: Lists of Terrorist Persons or Organizations. Report for Congress 2007-03957. Washington, DC: Law Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/law/help/EUTerroristLists.pdf.