Isar-ul-Haq Qasmi (; died 1991) was a Pakistani Islamic cleric, preacher and a member of

Sipah-e-Sahaba The Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS), also known as the Millat-e-Islamiyya (MI), was a banned Sunni Islamist Deobandi organisation in Pakistan. Founded by Pakistani cleric Haq Nawaz Jhangvi in 1989 after breaking away from Sunni Deobandi party Jamiat Ulem ...

. He had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan between 1990 and 1993 representing the Jhang constituency.

Early life and education

Qasmi was born in 1964 to a family which migrated from

Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...

and settled in

Samundri Samundri (Urdu, Punjabi: ) is a city and headquarters of Samundri Tehsil located in Faisalabad District of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 55th most populous city of Pakistan, according to the 2017 census. History Etymology Samundri w ...

, Punjab, at the Partition, with a father who worked in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

for years (like many SSP members). He was educated in three madrasas in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, and at first pursued a business career but then decided to become ''khatib'' (preacher) in an Okara mosque from 1985 onward, where he also established a madrasa, and he would soon gain a reputation for his clashes with the local police, before moving to

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi / ; ; ) is the capital city of Jhang District in central Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 13th most populous city of Pakistan. Etymology The historical name of the city and dis ...

at the request of

Haq Nawaz Jhangvi Haq Nawaz Jhangvi ( Punjabi/, ''Ḥaq Nawāz Jhangvī''; 1952 – 23 February 1990) was a Pakistani cleric who founded the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a Sunni Deobandi group known for its anti-Shia thoughts, on 6 September 1986. Early li ...

, to preach in one of the market-towns of the district. His family was Punjabi

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

Political career

He was elected to the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

as a candidate of

Islami Jamhoori Ittehad The Islami Jamhuri Ittihad (IJI) was a right-wing conservative alliance formed in September 1988 to oppose the democratic socialist Pakistan Peoples Party in elections that year. The alliance comprised nine parties, of which the major components ...

(IJI) in the

1990 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 24 October 1990 to elect the members of the National Assembly. The elections were primarily a contest between the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA, a four party alliance led by the ruling Pakistan Pe ...

. He received 62,486 votes and defeated Nawab Amanullah Khan Sial of the

Pakistan Democratic Alliance The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a centre-left political position, it is curr ...

(PDA).

Assassination

He was killed in 1991 by suspected Shia militants during a by-election in

References

1991 deaths Pakistani Islamic religious leaders Pakistani Islamists Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993 People from Jhang District Assassinated Pakistani people Assassinated religious leaders Pakistani far-right politicians 1964 births Deobandis Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan people Chiefs of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan People from Samundri {{Pakistan-MNA-stub

Early life and education

Political career

Assassination

See also

References