Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman becomes new JI emir

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the religio-political party in Pakistan, elected Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman as its new emir for the next five years, according to intra-party elections results announced on Thursday.

JI Central Information Secretary Qaisar Sharif said that over 45,000 members of the party cast their votes to elect the new emir during the recent intra-party elections.

"Naeem received over 80% of the votes and become the sixth emir of the party,” he added.

He would remain the party's chief till 2029, the party’s information secretary added.

As per the party’s constitution, elections are held regularly at all levels in the JI, Sharif said, adding, “JI does not belong to any individual or a [certain] family but to every member and worker”.

Around 46,000 members of the JI countrywide elected the new emir via secret balloting, he added.

The JI information secretary said that the JI Majlis-e-Shura, however, had proposed three names for the post of the party chief to the party members.

JI incumbent Emir Sirajul Haq is completing his second term as the party’s head on April 8 (Monday), he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former president Arif Alvi and other political leaders of the country congratulated Naeem on his election as the JI chief.

Naeem’s political career at a glance

Naeem’s political career began at 16 when he joined the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), the student wing of JI, in 1988. Already drawn to the religious political ideology espoused by JI founder Syed Abul Ala Maududi, he quickly rose through the party’s ranks.

His leadership qualities propelled him to become the “nazim” (president) of his college and later, the head of IJT Karachi and Sindh. By 1998, he had reached the national level, becoming the Nazim-e-Ala of IJT Pakistan.

After completing his tenure as IJT chief in 2000, Hafiz meticulously climbed the JI hierarchy, starting from the grassroots level again. His dedication earned him the position of JI Karachi's deputy general secretary in 2005. He contested his first election in 2001 and won the seat of “naib nazim” in a Nazimabad union council.

Hafiz's leadership since 2013 as JI Karachi's emir has been marked by a distinct strategy. He has been vocal on the issues of the city since assuming the charge.

Tapping the potential, JI started forcefully highlighting the issues faced by Karahciites on a day-to-day basis and raised its voice for their redressal, which helped it create space for itself in the port city.

In 2020, the city chapter of the party launched a robust campaign, the "Huqooq-e-Karachi Tehreek" (Rights of Karachi Movement), highlighting the metropolis’ grievances – water shortages, power outages, and economic disparity. Hafiz, with his carefully crafted persona and social media savvy team, emerged as the face of this campaign.

An analysis of the party's social media handles shows that its Karachi chapter has established its supremacy having 77,000 followers on X account — the highest number of followers compared to other regions. Not only this, other divisions of the party, like JI Punjab, where the party is headquartered, have only 32,300 followers. Similarly, JI KP has 13,100 followers while JI Women has 44,600 followers.

However, the party's main X handle (@JIPOfficial) has 280,600 followers.

Hafiz's leadership style has impacted JI Karachi's internal structure. He has built a strong team around him, comprising researchers, social media specialists, lawyers, and volunteers, in contrast to the more hierarchical structure often associated with Islamist parties.

His emphasis on data-driven decision-making, further sets him apart from some traditional political leaders.

According to him, “We conducted an extensive exercise analysing public demographics and socio-economic classes, revealing that despite our efforts, we struggle to effectively communicate our work. This perception persists from several years ago. Our movement is grounded in scientific principles, drawing insights from both quantitative and qualitative research.”