JI on solo flight, aloof from govt-opposition fracas

ISLAMABAD: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has decided to go on a solo flight, distancing itself from the escalating fracas between the federal government and the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), to maintain its separate identity.

The battle lines between the government and opposition are clearly drawn. The PDM has within its fold 11 major and smaller political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML_N) , the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) as well as a host of Baloch and Pashtun nationalist parties and smaller religious groups. The ruling coalition, meanwhile, has as its principal component the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and enjoys the support of the Muttahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP). The Jamaat-e-Islami stands alone in this confrontation-ridden political pitch.

However, spite staying aloof from both the government and opposition camps, the JI has not remained politically mum. It is running its own movement these days, parallel to the campaign launched by the PDM. It holds its own public protests, mostly on the same day or even simultaneously as the opposition coalition organizes protest rallies in a particular city. Its chief Sirajul Haq is constantly on the move throughout the length and breadth of Pakistan endeavouring to galvanize public support.

While maintaining its individual identity, the Jamaat spares no opportunity to take on both the opposition and the government. However, the lion’s share of its attack is now directed at the latter. When the PML-N was in power, the JI kept attacking its government mercilessly. It was even one of the multiple petitioners in the Supreme Court against the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case, leading to his ouster and lifetime disqualification. Sirajul Haq used to regularly attend the court hearings and address pressers on the proceedings. The Jamaat had been an ally of the PML-N for several years in the past, but the parties are no longer interested in breaking bread. The alliance hit snags as the Jamaat was unhappy with what it had gained from the partnership.

More recently, the JI used to take serious exception to the PTI’s policies despite remaining in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government for five years and having a couple of ministers in the coalition. It has now sharpened its criticism against the ruling party. However, it is not shy about criticising some components of the opposition PDM too.

In Parliament, the JI has preserved its distinct identity by neither siding with the government nor the opposition parties even during the passage of important legislation. It doesn’t have too many members in the legislature and has just two senators. One of them, the party Amir Sirajul Haq, will retire in March next year. Given its small numerical strength in the provincial assemblies, it will be an uphill task for it to get even a single candidate elected as a Senator in the next Senate polls.

The JI is unique in being a major party that is neither aligned with the PDM nor the government. Although the Jamaat is part of the Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which exists in the record of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), it has practically dissociated itself from the religious parties’ grouping since long. It had contested the 2018 general elections under the MMA banner.

There is a strong feeling in the Jamaat today that it has suffered greatly by having an association with one or the other of the major parties. It is therefore comfortable today remaining aloof from any existing alliance.

In the past, the religious parties have traditionally cobbled together alliances of like-minded forces prior to general elections. By pooling their support in one basket, they have been able to win some federal and provincial seats. However, whenever they contest polls independently, there are slim chances of them being in a position to win a respectable number of seats. The JUI-F is an exception as it has sufficient electoral clout to be successful in a good number of constituencies, particularly in KP and Balochistan.

Considering the Jamaat’s current strategy, there is not much chance that it will join forces with any political or religious party in any forthcoming elections. It has come to the conclusion that it has lost more than it has gained by being in partnership with other parties. Whether or not the Jamaat remains a lone ranger or is ultimately forced to join hands with others for the sake of electoral relevance, there is little doubt about one fact: the party’s undeniable street power, that is always useful in any protest campaign.