Ansar ul-Islam (Pakistan)

{{Short description|Organization}}

{{distinguish|Ansar al-Islam (disambiguation){{!}}Ansar al-Islam|Muhammad Ahsan Dar#Ansarul Islam|Jabhat Ansar al-Islam|Ansaru}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Use Pakistani English|date=April 2025}}

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|active=2004 – present

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|leaders=Qazi Mehboob-ul-Haq

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Ansar ul-Islam was founded in 2004 by {{Transliteration|fa|Pir}} Saif-ur Rehman, an Afghan Sufi preacher, influenced by the Barelvi movement of Sunni Islam.{{cite news|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-ansar-ul-islam-taliban-ttp/24886662.html|title=Pakistan's Islamist Militia Ansar Ul-Islam and Its Fight for Influence|date=29 January 2013|access-date=13 September 2023|first=Abubakar |last=Siddique|work=RFE {{!}} Radio Liberty}} They are a militant Islamist group in North-west Pakistan and are rivals of Lashkar-e-Islam.{{cite news|last=Khan|first=Javed Aziz|title=Militant infighting compels thousands to flee Tirah Valley|url=http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/pakistan/main/2013/03/26/feature-01|access-date=2013-04-19|date=2013-03-26}}{{cite news |url = http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/suicide-blast-kills-five-in-nw-pakistan-20100108-lygo.html |title= Suicide blast kills five in NW Pakistan |access-date= 2010-07-19 |date= 2010-01-08 |newspaper= The Sydney Morning Herald}}

The group was being led by Qazi Mehboob-ul-Haq in {{as of|2013|bare=yes}}.

The group was banned by the Pakistani government in June 2008,{{cite news|url= https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aC_owLx1STNg&refer=home | title = Pakistan Says Army to Be Used Against Militants as Last Option | access-date= 2010-07-19 |date= 2008-07-01 | work = Bloomberg}} and the ban was renewed in Pakistan's 2014 National Internal Security Policy.{{cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/PrintEdition.aspx?ID%3D235921%26Cat%3D2%26dt%3D3%2F5%2F2014 |title=60 banned organisations identified by new NISP |work=The News Pakistan|access-date=2014-08-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721010739/http://www.thenews.com.pk/PrintEdition.aspx?ID=235921&Cat=2&dt=3%2F5%2F2014 |archive-date=2014-07-21 }}