Muhammad Hussain Najafi

Muhammad Hussain Najafi was a Pakistani religious and political leader who founded and led the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a hardline Islamist party that campaigned for the strict enforcement of Pakistan's blasphemy laws. He was born in 1932 in Jehanian Shah, a small town in Sargodha district of Punjab province. He studied at Jamia Nizamia Rizvia in Lahore and became a Hafiz-e-Quran and Sheikh-ul-Hadith. He was a follower of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam and a staunch defender of the honour of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He also wrote several books and pamphlets on religious issues. He founded TLP in 2015 as a political front for his movement, which had been protesting against any perceived insult to Islam or the Prophet. He led several massive rallies and sit-ins that paralyzed the country and demanded the execution of those accused of blasphemy, the expulsion of the French ambassador over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet in France, and the release of Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who had spoken in favour of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. He often used inflammatory and abusive language against his opponents and critics, and was accused of inciting violence and hatred. He also claimed to have the support of the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence. He died of natural causes in Sargodha on August 21, 2023. His funeral was attended by thousands of his followers. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, Allama Saad Rizvi, as the leader of TLP.