SUMMARY
LeJ (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Army of Jhangvi) is a Sunni extremist group operating mainly in Pakistan's Punjab area and the city of Karachi. It was formed in 1996 when a group of radical sectarian extremists broke away from the extremist Sunni group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). They accused the SSP of deviating from the original ideals of the founder Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, after whom they named their new organisation. Their main goal is to transform Pakistan into a Sunni state, and their primary target is Shia Muslims.
The group's first leader was Riaz Basra, who founded the organisation together with Akram Lahori and Malik Ishaque. When Basra was killed in an encounter with the police in May 2002, Lahori became the new Commander-in-chief. Since then, LeJ has lost several leaders who have been killed or imprisoned. The current leader is believed to be Qari Zafar, who replaced Rizman Ahmad when he was arrested in 2007. Like the leaders, most of the top commanders in LeJ are mujahideen who fought against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the 1980's. It is believed that the organisation consists of loosely coordinated sub-units made up of cells with less than 10 fighters in each. In total, LeJ is believed to control around 300 fighters, most of them recruits from religious schools in Pakistan.
LeJ is one of the most secretive terrorist groups in Pakistan and they rarely make statements or appear in Pakistani media. Information about the group is therefore scarce and biased. There are many allegations of LeJ's linkages to other groups in the area. Although the leader of SSP repeatedly has condemned the terrorist attacks performed by LeJ, media reports and security agencies maintain that the groups are connected. LeJ has on several occasions cooperated with Taleban groups, both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. Prior to the U.S attacks on Afghanistan in 2001, LeJ had a training camp in Sarobi near Kabul. Many LeJ cadres were also given sanctuary by the Taleban regime in Afghanistan. LeJ's activities are thought to be financed primarily by wealthy backers in Karachi, but allegedly they also receive financial assistance from Arabs in Saudi Arabia.
LeJ has been involved in the one-sided category of UCDP organised violence.
