The prevalence of Anti-Shia hate speech is escalating in society, yet there is a conspicuous lack of decisive action or strong condemnations from the state. Similarly, the liberal establishment has not mobilized collective and organized opposition against this form of hate speech, displaying a stark contrast to their more pronounced and vigorous responses to other forms of anti-minority rhetoric.
Recently, a notable instance of overlooked anti-Shia rhetoric emerged when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) indicated its plans to encourage independent members of both national and provincial assemblies, who are supported by the PTI, to align with the Shia political party Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM).
ASWJ/SSP’s Opposition Fueled by Anti-Shia Hate Speech
Media sources report that Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), also known as Sipah Sahabah Pakistan (SSP) and listed under the Proscribed Organizations by the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NCTA), remains active and publicly engages in activities targeting the Shia Muslim community in Pakistan. Despite its proscription, ASWJ has been operational under the guise of the Pakistan Rahe Haq Party, a political entity registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan since 2008 that actively campaigns using anti-Shia rhetoric and slogans.
The party convened a session of its central executive committee, the Markazi Majlis-i-A’amla, in Peshawar. Following this assembly, Attah Muhammad Deshani, the ASWJ spokesperson and general secretary of the Pakistan Rahe Haq Party, held a press briefing. During this briefing, he sharply criticized the coalition of independent elected members supported by PTI with MWM, denouncing it as a collaboration between what he termed ‘non-blasphemous’ and ‘blasphemous’ entities. Deshani, alongside other ASWJ and Pakistan Rahe Haq Party leaders, propagated incendiary anti-Shia narratives to the press, garnering significant traction on social media platforms.
Attah Muhammad Deshani, President of ASWJ KPK -File Photo
In a recorded statement, Deshani castigated the Shia Muslim population, accusing them of ‘apostasy’ and ‘blasphemy,’ and proclaimed any form of alliance with them as un-Islamic. He further stated, in his role as the President of the ASWJ’s KPK chapter, that voting for Shia candidates or parties is against Islamic tenets, explicitly targeting their religious beliefs and political ties.
Overlooked by State Authorities and Society
State authorities, as is often the case, failed to initiate legal proceedings against the anti-Shia hate speech perpetrated by the leaders of a banned organization. However, society at large has also turned a blind eye to this issue. Notably, even the majority of influential social media activists, who are part of Pakistan’s civil society and liberal factions, failed to acknowledge or address the anti-Shia hate speech publicly disseminated by the outlawed group.
Anti-Shia Rhetoric in Shia Genocide Campaign
There is an organized Shia Persecution-Cum-Genocidal campaign in Pakistan, and ASWJ/SSP is the main perpetrator of this campaign. Anti-Shia hate speech is an integral part of the Shia genocidal campaign in Pakistan. ASWJ and its allied groups are spreading anti-Shia hate speech not only through public rallies and meetings but also through social media in a very coherent way. This is not the first time Takfiri Deobandi leaders have committed anti-Shia hate speech in public and spread it through social media. There are hundreds of thousands of social media accounts with anti-Shia hate speech, and the leadership of ASWJ has threatened the ethnic cleansing, pogroms, and genocide of the Shia Muslim community of Pakistan. According to the Data Base of Shia Genocide and Target Killings (which can be seen at the Shia Muslim Genocide website), 2,5000 Shia Muslims lost their lives in genocidal and targeted attacks in Pakistan, and all such attacks were made by the terrorists brainwashed by the ASWJ and SSP.
Selected Instances of Anti-Shia Hate Speech
Shiites are apostates,” says Ludhianvi
Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi, the leader of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), declared Shiite Muslims as apostates (Kafir) during a TV talk show on Express News, hosted by Kamran Shahid, on April 30, 2012.
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Ludhianvi issued a threat of ethnic cleansing against Shia Muslims
ASWJ chief Ahmed Ludhianvi stated that if Pervez Musharraf’s government were to grant him a 24-hour free hand, there would not be a single Shia left in Pakistan, effectively threatening Shia Muslims with ethnic cleansing.
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Banned outfits in Pakistan operate openly on Facebook
https://www.dawn.com/news/1335561
In response, Raja Nasir Abbas, the president of Majlis Wahdat al-Muslimeen—a prominent political representation of Shia Muslims—has articulated that the derogatory speech by Ahlus Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) forms part of a systematic campaign of anti-Shia genocide and persecution within Pakistan. He highlighted that this campaign has already resulted in the loss of over 25,000 Shia lives. It was mentioned that the PTI had initially intended to ally with the MWM but was deterred by the latter’s Shia identity. Reliable sources within the PTI have indicated that the anti-Shia narrative was leveraged against the MWM, leading to Shia Muslims once again becoming the focal point of hate speech due to their identity.
Role of Election Commission Pakistan
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has consistently failed to assert authority over the registration attempts of political entities established by banned organizations. Similarly, state institutions have not effectively enforced the actual prohibition on proscribed groups, especially in the cases of ASWJ, SSP, and their political facade, the Pakistan Rahe Haq Party. Even the returning officers (ROs) have consistently overlooked the affiliation of candidates with these banned groups, never disqualifying their nomination papers. Under the alias of Pakistan Rahe Haq Party, ASWJ was not only registered by the ECP but also granted an election symbol. Despite their notorious affiliations, returning officers approved over 300 nomination submissions for national seats and more than 200 for provincial seats.
PRP’s leader’s election poster features images of JI head Siraj-ul-Haq and Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, ASWJ’s leader.
Furthermore, the ECP permitted the central and provincial leadership of ASWJ to participate in elections, ignoring their listing in the Fourth Schedule, which denotes individuals associated with terrorism. Throughout its campaign, the Rahe Haq Party engaged in pervasive anti-Shia hate speech and intensively demonized the Shia community across public platforms, media, and social networks. Despite these glaring violations of the electoral code of conduct, the ECP failed to take any notice or action against these transgressions.
