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Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan
Political party in Pakistan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (S.M.P) (Urdu: سپاہ محمد پاکستان; Arabic: سباه محمد الباكستانيه; English: Soldiers of Muhammad) was a Shia organisation and political party in Pakistan turned assassination/militant group it claimed credit for a series of target Killings of the leaders of Anti-Shia groups Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi for targeting Shia minority of Pakistan.[5] It was formed in 1993 by Mureed Abbas Yazdani. Its headquarters is in Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2018) |
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History
Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani and his followers formed the Sipa-e-Muhammad Pakistan in 1993 or 1994 as a response to sectarian violence against Pakistani Shia Muslims orchestrated by Deobandi militias such as Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi It is involved in assassination of Sipah-e-Sahaba-linked sectarian clerics and other figures that are responsible for the anti-Shia violence in Pakistan.[6][7] It is believed to be the armed wing of Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan. Its leader was Ghulam Raza Naqvi who was imprisoned in 1996 and released in 2014.[citation needed] Since his death in 2016, it is unclear who leads the group.
Yazdani's nephew Malik Muhammad Wasi Ul Baqar was attempting to take control of Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan.
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Activities
Aim
Sipah-e-Muhammad's primary aim was to target the sectarian leadership of the banned terrorist Deobandi militia Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in retaliatory actions for targeting Shia Muslim community.[8] However, with the subsequent rise in the violence against Shia Muslims, it was claimed to be reforming.[clarification needed][9]
The movement was strong in various Shia communities in Pakistan, and in the majority Shia town of Thokar Niaz Beg of Lahore, the party ran a "virtual state within a state" in the 1990s.[4]
Target killings and militancy
According to Stanford University "Mapping Militant Organizations writing the "primary methods" of Sipah-e-Muhammad are targeted killings of prominent Anti-Shia Sunnis – the notable targets of such killings of Sipah-e-Muhammad are Zia ur Rehman Farooqi, Azam Tariq, Riaz Basra and Ali Sher Hyderi. The top leaders of Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were targeted for their beliefs and activities against the Shia Muslim community of Pakistan.[10]
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Affiliations
Sipah-e-Muhammad is alleged to have ties with Iran[11] and to an extent, the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba is also seen as attempt by the Saudi Arabia to assert Anti-Shia influence in Pakistan to prevent the influence of Khomeinist Iranian Revolution in the country.[12][13][14]
Designation
The Government of Pakistan designated Sipah-e-Muhammad a terrorist organization in 2002;[citation needed] it is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law, [citation needed] and its finances are blocked worldwide by the US government.[citation needed]
See also
References
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