Who is Khadim Hussain Rizvi and where did he come from ?



Until a few years ago, little was known about Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the founder of the religious and political party Tehreek-e-Libek. Then in November 2017, he led a rally and staged a sit-in at Faizabad, the confluence of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Three years later, in November 2020, his party workers staged another sit-in. This article on Khadim Rizumi's career was first published in 2018 and is being republished.


The beginning of Khadim Hussain Rizvi

The 52-year-old Khatib of a Lahore mosque gained real fame in November 2017 by staging a long but seemingly successful sit-in in Islamabad's Faizabad Chowk against an amendment to the blasphemy law. Earlier, he was also active in the case of the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, and from there he turned his religious activities into politics.

Khadim Hussain Rizvi, a Barelvi thinker, was fired from the Punjab Endowment Department for speaking out in favor of Mumtaz Qadri, after which he founded the movement in September 2017 and NA-120 Lahore in September of the same year. I got 7,000 votes in the by-elections and surprised everyone.

Observers say that since the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the conservatives of the Barelvi class have taken a more active political role. But sectarian violence in Pakistan and the Barelvi Deobandi feud have been on the rise since 2012.

Khadim Hussain Rizvi was also supported by the Sunni movement in last year's protest sit-in.


Whose support do they have?


The Faizabad sit-in in the government of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had the impression that the protesters had the support of the Pakistan Army in one way or another. In this regard, the distribution of money among the protesters by the Rangers at the end of the protest is seen in this context.


The army has been denying this support, but now the question of who is behind the sit-ins across the country in the Aasia Bibi controversy and who has the support of Tehreek-e-Libek is being asked again.


However, observers believe that in the past, whether they have the backing of someone or not, this time they have taken to the streets because of their popularity in a certain conservative section of society.


Now the kind of language he and other senior leaders of his movement use against the military and the judiciary suggests that they have become overconfident in their power.


Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Khadim Hussain Rizvi has emerged as a major supporter of the controversial blasphemy law in Pakistan. He also disagrees with allegations of abuse of the law. His style is very strict. Apparently, they have come up with the solution of not getting coverage from Pakistani media by making full use of social media. Not only do their websites now exist in Urdu and English, but they also have several accounts on social media. They call themselves the 'watchmen' of the Prophet of Islam..


Where is Khadim Hussain Rizvi from?


A spokesman for the movement, Ijaz Ashrafi, said Khadim Hussain Rizvi hails from Attock District, Punjab. Apart from memorizing the Qur'an, he is also a Shaykh-ul-Hadeeth and is fluent in Persian. His two sons have also been involved in various protests. Khadim Hussain was paralyzed in a traffic accident and cannot walk without support.


He was born on June 22, 1966 to Haji Lal Khan in Attock district. He studied memorization and tajweed from the madrassas of Jhelum and Dina, after which he completed his teaching from Jamia Nizamia Rizviyah in Lahore. There are many different types of cases registered against them. Ejaz Ashrafi said that he did not remember the number of these cases. But he has not been arrested since the movement began. Maybe it's because of their 'street power'.


In January 2017, he also staged a rally in Lahore in support of the blasphemy law, which was baton-charged by police. He was arrested and sent to jail and is still on the Punjab government's Fourth Schedule, which means he has to keep the police informed of his movements. An ISI report says that "Khadim Hussain Rizvi is arrogant in front of his superiors and disrespectful to his subordinates."


What are the financial resources of Harik-e-Lubaik?

It is not clear where Khadim Hussain Rizvi gets the resources for his activities, but during the Islamabad sit-in, he announced that unknown individuals were giving him millions of rupees. At the end of an article about him on the internet, a man from Australia is asking for his address and bank account to send him money.In addition, a message is circulating on the WhatsApp with a phone number saying that if a worker needs any facility during the protest, such as mobile balance, money or food, send a message to that number. It seems that they are receiving funds from both at home and abroad.


According to a report submitted to the court by the ISI after last year's sit-in, Khadim Rizvi has been "involved in financial corruption, and his reputation is unsatisfactory". The report said that there were rumors of financial support for the sit-in in a systematic manner and that the sit-in protesters had received generous donations from a few people, including local clerics and ascetics. According to the report, "the police were neither able nor willing to stop the logistical support given to the protesters."



Khadim Rizvi's style statement


Khadim Hussain Rizvi's warm speeches suggest that he is in awe of his power. His followers keep their eyes closed and wow at his insults and abuses. Not only the ruler but also a person like the late Abdul Sattar Edhi has been the target of his harsh criticism.


Some of his videos went viral on social media simply because people can only laugh at the kind of debt relief he offers to the country. He has also been harshly addressing journalists and intelligence officials who have come to his gathering. Then there are claims that it may be impossible to put into practice. He had made a similar statement in Karachi that "if they had an atomic bomb, they would have completely destroyed the Netherlands before holding a cartoon competition."Some of his videos went viral on social media simply because people can only laugh at the kind of debt relief he offers to the country. He has also been harshly addressing journalists and intelligence officials who have come to his gathering. Then there are claims that it may be impossible to put into practice. He had made a similar statement in Karachi that "if they had an atomic bomb, they would have completely destroyed the Netherlands before holding a cartoon competition."


The kind of harsh and anti-state rhetoric he has made in Lahore in recent days threatens to make him more "fearless and fearless" if no action is taken against him. To deal with this, the ball has once again come to the government's court.