Results of intra-party elections held on Thursday indicate that Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has been chosen as the new Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan religio-political party, for the next five years.

In the most recent intra-party elections, more over 45,000 party members voted to choose the next emir, according to Qaisar Sharif, the secretary of JI Central Information.

He said, “Naeem became the sixth emir of the party with over 80% of the vote.”

According to the party’s communications secretary, he would continue to serve as its leader until 2029.

Elections are held at all levels of the JI on a regular basis in accordance with the party’s constitution, Sharif stated, adding that “JI does not belong to any individual or a [certain] family but to every member and worker.”

Elections are held at all levels of the JI on a regular basis in accordance with the party’s constitution, Sharif stated, adding that “JI does not belong to any individual or a [certain] family but to every member and worker.”

According to him, the new emir was chosen by some 46,000 JI members across the nation through secret voting.

However, the JI Majlis-e-Shura has put forth three choices to the party members for the position of party leader, according to the JI communications secretary.

He continued, saying that on Monday, April 8, JI incumbent Emir Sirajul Haq will conclude his second term as the party’s leader.

When Naeem joined the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), the student wing of JI, in 1988, he was sixteen years old and started his political career. He advanced fast through the party’s ranks, already inclined to the Islamic political philosophy that JI founder Syed Abul Ala Maududi promoted.

His capacity for leadership helped him rise to the position of “nazim” (president) of his college and, subsequently, head of IJT Sindh and Karachi. He rose to the national level in 1998 and was appointed IJT Pakistan’s Nazim-e-Ala.

Following his departure as IJT leader in 2000, Hafiz methodically worked his way back up the JI ladder, beginning at the bottom once more. In 2005, his hard work brought him the title of deputy general secretary at JI Karachi. In 2001, he ran for office for the first time and was elected to the Nazimabad union council as “naib nazim.”

Since taking over as the emir of JI Karachi in 2013, Hafiz has led with a unique approach. Since taking on the role, he has been outspoken about city concerns.

Seizing the opportunity, JI began vehemently drawing attention to the problems Karahciites experienced on a daily basis and speaking out in favor of their resolution, which enabled it to carve out a place for itself in the port city.

The party’s local branch began a vigorous campaign in 2020 called the “Huqooq-e-Karachi Tehreek” (Rights of Karachi Movement), which brought attention to the city’s complaints about power outages, water shortages, and economic inequality. Hafiz became the campaign’s face because to his well constructed character and astute team on social media.

The party’s Karachi chapter has demonstrated its dominance on social media, according to a review of its accounts. It has 77,000 followers on the X account, the most followers in comparison to other locations. In addition, just 32,300 people follow some of the party’s other divisions, such as JI Punjab, the location of the party’s headquarters. Comparably, JI Women has 44,600 followers, compared to 13,100 for JI KP.

Nevertheless, @JIPOfficial, the party’s primary X handle, has 280,600 followers.

The internal organization of JI Karachi has been shaped by Hafiz’s leadership style. Rather than the more hierarchical structure typically associated with Islamist organizations, he has assembled a formidable team behind him, including scholars, social media professionals, attorneys, and volunteers.

His focus on making decisions based on facts further distinguishes him from certain more established political figures.

He said, “We carried out a comprehensive analysis of socioeconomic classes and public demographics, revealing that despite our best efforts, we struggle to effectively communicate our work.” This impression from a few years back still stands. Our movement draws on both quantitative and qualitative research to provide its scientific foundation.

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