Pro-Government Militias
Wajahat Force (Pakistan)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 632 |
| Country: | Pakistan |
| Date formed: | Dec. 17, 2007 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Wajahat Force was founded prior to the February 2008 general election. The first evidence of the group dates back to December 2007. |
| Date dissolved: | March 25, 2008 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | PML-Q lost the general election in February 2008 and was not part of the new government, which took office on 25 March 2008. In September 2008, the police arrested 20 activists and registered a case against 162 people, including the Wajahat leader Chaudhry Wajahat Husain, in a crackdown on the Wajahat Force (DAWN 2008). |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | person/minister; political party |
| If link to party, name of party: | Pakistan Muslim League (Q) |
| Training and Equipment: | no information |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no information |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | unclear |
| Primary Membership: | political |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Punjab, especially Gujrat |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 200] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics |
| Purpose(s): | intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the Wajahat Force was to intimidate voters intending to vote for the PPP. The intention of using the Wajahat Force was keeping PPP supporters away from the polls so that the incumbent PML-Q would win the elections. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Wajahat Force harassed PPP voters and intimidated civilians, threatening them with their guns to vote for the PML-Q. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | We found no overall estimate of the PGM size. According to a news source from March 2008, two weeks before becoming anti-government, the PML-Q league acquired nearly 200 personnel for an operation of resistance. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The leader of the PGM was Chaudhry Wajahat Husain, the brother of President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain who was from the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q). They actively supported the PML-Q candidate Syed Noorul Haddan Shah. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.