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] View full narrative