“Ansarul Sharia appeared to have radicalised youth belonging to the educated middle class.

Ansarul Sharia just had between 12 and 40 members, adding that its size clearly showed that it was getting operational support from another group.

He said that the tactic of targeted assassinations, earlier used by the terrorist group, was previously also used by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaatul Ahrar.

According to Khalid Muhammad, funds for this group were mostly being raised from southern Punjab where TTP and Da’esh had a strong fund-raising base.

Dismissing the notion that the group mostly comprised of terrorists returning from Syria, he said if this was true, they should have made their base in Gilgit-Baltistan or Parachinar.”