Tehrik-e-Jafaria, the epitome of Iranian terrorism in Pakistan

Noura Bendari

Pakistan has the world’s largest number of Shiites after Iran. Shiites constitute 20 per cent of the population of that Asian state. This is probably why Iran’s mullah’s and regime work tooth and nail to expand their influence in Pakistan.

In this, Iran relies on Shiite militias and organizations active in the country.

Zainab Brigade is the most outstanding Shiite militia in Pakistan. The brigade is made up of Pakistani Shiite fighters who work to serve the Iranian agenda outside Iran’s borders.

Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan is another pro-Iran Shiite militia that is active in Faisalabad, the second largest city in the eastern Pakistani province of Punjab. This militia is fully supported by Iran. Nonetheless, the Pakistani government had designated it as a “terrorist” organization. It also outlawed it. This militia caused tension to flare between Pakistan’s Sunnis and Shiites on numerous occasions.

On September 13, Fox News ran a report in which it referred to Iranian efforts to expand influence in Pakistan. Iran does this, the report said, by offering support to Shiite groups in Pakistan.

The report quoted Anthony Shaffer, a senior fellow for the London Center for Policy Research, as saying that Iran helps Iranian Shiite dissidents to organize themselves.

Iran also, he added, finances separatist groups in the southeastern province of Sindh and the southwestern province of Balochistan.

He said these Iranian efforts undermine the United States’ fight against terrorism.

The leader of Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan confessed previously that his group had links to Iran.

We have a common ideology, he said, that makes it necessary for us to stand behind Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

“We consider whatever Khamenei says as “commandments to us,” he said.

Iran works to recruit most Pakistan’s Shiites and convince them to fight in Syria along with other Shiite groups.

Iranian infiltration

The Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 encouraged Pakistan’s Shiites to be involved more in politics. They formed their own organizations, societies and movements. The 1980s witnessed a major growth in the number of Shiite religious and political organizations in Pakistan. Some people estimate these organizations at 33 at present. All these organizations were formed soon after the eruption of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Pakistan’s Shiites also put pressure on Islamabad to allow them to enjoy more political and religious rights.

Pakistan’s Shiites also had a tendency to be violent, especially after they became an organized force. In this, they wanted to copy the Iranian revolution in Pakistan and turn the country into a pro-Iran Shiite hub. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s Sunnis countered all this very decisively, trimming Iranian infiltration into the Pakistani society. But this ignited sectarian tensions in Pakistan, ones that continue to rock the Asian country until now.

Founding of Tehrik-e-Jafaria

Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafaria, now Tehrik-e-Jafaria, appeared in this atmosphere, especially in 1979. It initially worked to change Pakistan’s identity, specifically turning it into a Shiite state. This caused a flare-up of tension with the country’s Sunnis. This tension threatened to destabilize Pakistan.

In 1980, the group tried to expand its control by stepping into the political field. It tried to turn into a rival force for the Pakistani government. This followed the approval of a martial law by Pakistan’s then-ruler Gen. Zia ul Haq. The law imposed a charity tax on all Muslims in Pakistan. Tehrik-e-Jafaria staged a major protest in Islamabad in reaction to the law. It wanted to force the government to exempt Shiites from the new tax. Bloody clashes ensued which caused the government to bow to the demands of the group.