Congratulations, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, on becoming the emir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
I offer my best wishes to you to meet the challenges the new responsibility entails.
Today’s piece is dedicated to the JI transition from Sirajul Haq to Hafiz Naeemur Rehman. I was not ready for this assignment. A dear friend of mine insisted on me going ahead with this topic. Otherwise, my notes were ready to make a column on the recent rains in Dubai. When I flew from London to Dubai on April 17, the weather was fine in both London and Dubai. By the time the flight was about to land, the weather in Dubai was unforgivable. Our flight remained stuck in midair for hours.
Well, I wanted to write about this horrible experience this week, but then Hafiz Naeemur Rehman landed in Lahore to take charge of the JI emir.
My relation with the JI is nominal.
When I was in university back in the 90s, the Jamiat ruled the campus. I was never part of their programs, but Jamiat leaders were always nice to me and my friends. Those days, Jamiat had the ability to fracture the legs and arms of their opponents. But my friends in Jamiat looked very progressive and polite.
Nowadays, political circles are discussing the expected rise of Hafiz Naeemur Rahman as the JI emir. His leadership role in Karachi has injected fresh vigour into the party. He has made the party one of the top three parties of Karachi. The question looms large: can Hafiz Naeemur Rehman make the JI one of the three most popular parties of Pakistan?
From the Karachi civic issues to the million march on the Israel war on Palestinians in Gaza, Hafiz Naeemur Rahman has kept the JI workers alive. In local body elections, the party under Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has performed well. My friends in Karachi tell me that the proactive approach and commitment to grassroots activism of Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has invigorated the party’s base. However, the path to political preeminence in Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is fraught with challenges, particularly for a party facing with its identity and structure. The rise of Hafiz Naeemur Rahman as the new JI emir has rekindled hopes in JI circles of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the party has chances of making an early comeback.
While Naeemur Rahman is seen as a dynamic and energetic leader, Jamaat-e-Islami faces a significant challenge: its dual identity as both an Islamic preaching party and a political party. When it assumes the role of a preaching party, and mostly led by the western-educated class, it cannot match the power, structure, and grassroots appeal of parties like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Tableeghi Jamaat of Raiwind.
When it assumes the role of a political party, it cannot match Pakistan Tehreek-e-Inaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Muslim League in Punjab, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement in Karachi. Hafiz Naeemur Rahman faces a critical decision. Does he transform Jamaat-e-Islami into a full-fledged political party, shedding its preaching party identity? Or does he maintain the party’s hybrid structure?
For the JI to emerge as a popular political force, it must keep a delicate balance. Embracing a purely political identity under Hafiz Naeemur Rahman’s leadership holds promise, yet it requires a fundamental overhaul of the party’s structure. However, this transformation is not without risks. Diluting its old principles in pursuit of political power risks alienating its core supporters and diluting its distinctiveness. Moreover, the entrenched culture of electoral pragmatism may clash with the party’s ideological underpinnings, leading to internal discord and disillusionment.
The path he chooses will significantly impact Jamaat-e-Islami’s future political standing. If the party sheds its old focus, it may gain popularity but risk alienating its core base. Only time will tell if Hafiz Naeemur Rahman can navigate this complex challenge and lead Jamaat-e-Islami to a new era of political relevance.
