Pakistan Sunni Tehreek or simply Sunni Tehreek is a Pakistani Barlevi organization. The organization was founded by Muhammad Saleem Qadri in 1990 in order to prevent Barelevi mosques from being seized by

Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...

and

Wahabi Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other p ...

organizations. It also sees itself as a defender of Barelvis from attacks from Deobandis and Wahabi Muslims. The Islamist group is known for its strong support of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, and for its hardline support of the death penalty for those accused of committing blasphemy. Sunni Tehreek is vocal in its support of

Mumtaz Qadri Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri (1985 – 29 February 2016), better known as Mumtaz Qadri (, ), was a Pakistani Elite Police commando who is known for murdering Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab, Pakistan, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando ...

, the bodyguard who murdered Punjab's governor

Salman Taseer Salman Taseer (; 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 34th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, he was elected to the ...

after Taseer called the blasphemy laws as "Black Laws". According to him, these laws were comparable to the

Rowlatt Act The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act, was a law, applied during the British India period. It was a legislative council act passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi on 18 March 1919 ...

, a blantant lie. Supporters of the organization assaulted the popular former pop-star

Junaid Jamshed Junaid Jamshed Khan (3 September 1964 – 7 December 2016) was a Pakistani Islamic preacher, singer-songwriter and television personality. Jamshed first gained nationwide and international recognition as the vocalist of Vital Signs. Their ...

, and called for his prosecution under the blasphemy laws. The party was delisted in January 2024 by the

Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, local g ...

for failing to conduct intra-party elections.

History

After the fragmenting and decline of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Sunni Tehreek arose as the primary opposition to the Deobandi-Wahabi Banuri Mosque, headed by

Nizamuddin Shamzai Nizamuddin Shamzai (also Nizam al-Din Shamzai, 12 July 1952 – 30 May 2004) was a pro-Taliban Pakistani Deobandi Sunni Islamic scholar and the senior professor of hadith at the Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia. He was considered "one of the most import ...

. The Pakistan Sunni Tehreek strongly opposed the giving of important religious posts to

s. Its branch in Lahore publicly declared its opposition to the appointment of a Deobandi cleric as ''

khateeb In Islam, a khatib or khateeb ( ''khaṭīb'') is a person who delivers the sermon (''khuṭbah'') (literally "narration"), during the Friday prayer and Eid prayers. The ''khateeb'' is usually the prayer leader (''imam''), but the two roles can ...

'' of

Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque (; ) is a Mughal Empire, Mughal-era congregational mosque, imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during the rule of Aurangzeb, opposite of the Lahore Fort on the north ...

, and other similar appointments.[sacw] SACW Dispatch , 9 Sept. 00
/ref>

Split into PST and ST and reunion

Due to internal disputes, Sunni Tehreek later splits up into two main factions. Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, one of its main leader formed a much larger faction which was later named as Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) while Ahmed Bilal Qadri (son of ST's founder Saleem Qadri) formed his own faction and his faction adapted its same old name. Both factions later announced merger in September 2023 with Ahmed Bilal Qadri appointed as party's secretary general and Sarwat Ejaz Qadri as party's president. Ahead of the 2024 Pakistani general election, 2024 elections, the party was delisted by the

for failing to conduct intra-party elections and was not eligible to contest on any seat.

Controversies

In May 2001, sectarian riots broke out after Sunni Tehreek leader Saleem Qadri was assassinated by

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan 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 Ule ...

, an anti-

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

militant and terrorist group. His successor, Abbas Qadri, charged President

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...

with "patronising terrorists" and "standing between us and the murderers." In April 2007, alleged Sunni Tehreek members opened gunfire on an

Ahl-i Hadith Ahl-i-Hadith or Ahl-e-Hadith (, ''people of hadith'') is a Salafi reform movement that emerged in North India in the mid-nineteenth century from the teachings of Syed Ahmad Barelvi, Sayyid Ahmad Shahid, Syed Nazeer Husain and Nawab Siddiq Has ...

mosque in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

. One worshiper was killed in the attack. After the attack, Western analysts described the movement as a radicalization of traditional beliefs in the Indian subcontinent.

References

External links

Official Website of Sunni Tehreek
{{Pakistani political parties Islamic political parties in Pakistan Islamism in Pakistan Barelvi organizations Sunni organizations Sufi Islamist insurgent groups Islamic organisations based in Pakistan Barelvi political parties