SUMMARY

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) started to attack civilians shortly after they were formed in 1996. During 1997 LeJ on several occasions attacked civilian Shia Muslims in Punjab. It was not until 1998 though, that the one-sided violence committed by LeJ resulted in more than 25 deaths during one year.

The LeJ's main goal is to make Pakistan a Sunni state with sharia laws. Shia Muslims are seen as an obstacle to obtain this and consequently they are the main target of LeJ attacks. LeJ has admitted responsibility for numerous attacks against Shiite mosques and religious sites, as well as targeted executions of Shiite doctors, lawyers, teachers, and scholars. They have also carried out attacks against Iranian nationals in Pakistan, accusing them of providing funds for Shia Muslims trying to establish Shiite dominance. On rare occasions Christians and Westerners have also been targeted. In recent years, LeJ has increasingly been involved in clashes with security forces and has performed attacks on governmental targets.

The main tactics employed by LeJ are shootings and bomb attacks on Shiite sites such as mosques. On several occasions suicide bombers have carried out the attacks. Most attacks have taken place in Punjab and around the city of Karachi, but they have also carried out attacks in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province. Moreover, LeJ has assisted the Taleban movement in Afghanistan in attacks on Shia Muslims there.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 1998 when one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in June of that year when LeJ attacked a Shiite clinic, killing the doctor's son and a patient.