A fundraising event was going on in Karachi, and the mic was in the hands of the host of the event, Anwar Maqsood. Commenting on the personality of his guest, he said that he had never seen such a good-looking Jamaat-e-Islami leader before.
Actually, Anwar Maqsood was pointing to the change in the image of Jamaat-e-Islami in an interesting way. Going forward, the personality of Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman was seen influencing not only Jamaat-e-Islami but also the politics of Karachi, and in the local elections of January 2023, Jamaat-e-Islami returned to the politics of the city.
Democracy or heredity?
In the internal politics of Jamaat-e-Islami, instead of inheritance, democracy was founded by the founder, Syed Abul Ala Maududi himself, when he resigned from his position and the members of the Jamaat migrated from East Punjab and settled in Lahore. Amir was elected.
Despite the passage of years, Jamaat-e-Islami still adheres to the tradition that every five years, the members across the country are given an opportunity to elect the Ameer.
The majority of the 46,000 members of the Jamaat across the country have handed over the leadership of the party to 51-year-old Hafiz Naeemur Rehman from Karachi this time.
Who is Hafiz Naeemur Rahman?
Born in Hyderabad in 1972, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman is currently the political face of Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi. Hafiz Naeem Zamana, who completed his B.E. in Civil Engineering from NED University, was associated with Islamic Jamiat students during his academic years and was elected as its Nazeem-e-Ala, i.e., Central President.
After student politics, he started practical politics on the platform of Jamaat-e-Islami and soon succeeded in making his mark.
According to senior journalist Mazhar Abbas, Hafiz Naeem understands the politics of Karachi and Sindh.
What was the policy of which Amir of the Jamaat?
The role of central Shura remains important in making the political policies of Jamaat-e-Islami, but the personality of Ameer Jamaat generally overshadows the political scene.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed brought a significant change in the style of politics in Jamaat-e-Islami. According to Mazhar Abbas, “In the past, the impression was dominant that Jamaat-e-Islami is an ideological party, but after Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the Jamaat also saw the color that the importance of personalities has increased in it too.” He opened the party by taking it out of the closed room. Compared to Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Manoor Hassan had a tough personality, and the establishment did not like some of his statements.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman made urban issues the focus of his politics, due to which a large number of citizens returned to Jamaat-e-Islami once again.
Why Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman instead of Siraj-ul-Haq?
Under the leadership of Siraj-ul-Haq, who was elected as Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami in place of Syed Manwar Hassan in 2014, Jamaat-e-Islami faced difficulty maintaining influence, even in its traditional areas. Jamaat-e-Islami won only one seat in the 2018 general elections and no seat in the 2024 general elections.
Senior analyst Mazhar Abbas says that Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman becoming Amir is a defeat of Jamaat-e-Islami’s policies under Siraj-ul-Haq.
