LJ forms squad to avenge Azam Tariq murder

LAHORE: Banned jihadi group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has formed a squad of militants to avenge the murder of Maulana Azam Tariq, police sources told Daily Times on Tuesday. Maulana Tariq, chief of the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba, was gunned down on his way to Islamabad last October. The Millat-e-Islamia, the name the Sipah-e-Sahaba adopted after it was banned, named several Shia leaders in the first information report of his murder. The Sipah-e-Sahaba was accused of responsibility for several sectarian incidents in Pakistan. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was believed to be its militant wing, though this was denied by both groups. The sources said the new squad, named the Al-Badr squad, also had members from other banned groups, the Tehrik-e-Khuddam-ul-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Furqaan. “They have taken an oath to take revenge from the killers of Maulana Azam Tariq,” the sources said. The sources said the Al-Badr squad was currently limited to Jhang district, the stronghold of the Sipah-e-Sahaba. The sources said it might be difficult to monitor the squad because it could include new militants on whom the police had no record. —Amir Rana

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