During the current government’s tenure, no political or religious party has taken to the streets to protest against the back-breaking inflation and oppressive electricity bills, except Jamaat-e-Islami.
The entire nation, distressed by inflation and exorbitant electricity bills, pinned great hopes on Jamaat-e-Islami when its leader, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, led a sit-in in Rawalpindi.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman and his senior associates made lofty claims during the protest:
(1) They would not leave without securing clear relief for the entire Pakistani populace suffering under the burden of electricity bills;
(2) They would force the Shehbaz government to bow down and announce measures to reduce inflation;
(3) They would push for a reduction in the unbearable new taxes imposed on salaried classes by the Shehbaz government;
(4) They would prevent the privileged government officials, who consume free electricity and petrol, from continuing this unjust practice;
(5) They would free the nation from the deadly grip of Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
Jamaat-e-Islami held the sit-in in Rawalpindi for two and a half weeks but failed to get even two and a half of their demands met.
Those who had high hopes for Jamaat-e-Islami were confident that Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman would not end the sit-in without achieving the demands.
During the sit-in, three important federal ministers held four rounds of negotiations with the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership.
However, these talks yielded no results. We hoped that the fifth round of talks would lead to some concessions from the government.
But in the fifth round, Jamaat-e-Islami surrendered to the government and abruptly ended the sit-in without achieving any of their demands.
It seemed as if Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman had taken on more than he could handle with the sit-in, failing to carry the burden he had assumed.
After being elected as Ameer Jamaat, this was Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman’s first test, but he has failed his first test.
In the process, he wasted millions of rupees on the sit-in and unnecessarily exhausted his dedicated workers.
The Shehbaz government has given Jamaat-e-Islami a 45-day promise, which seems like a mere delaying tactic. The Jamaat-e-Islami leadership continues to say, “If the government does not meet our demands within 45 days, we will stage another sit-in.” But, as the saying goes, “Who has reached the pinnacle of your promises?” I’ve read the contents of the so-called agreement between Jamaat-e-Islami and the government.
The summary is that the government has merely pacified Jamaat-e-Islami with promises.
When Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif bluntly stated during the Ulama and Mashaikh Conference held in Islamabad on August 8, 2024, that “We cannot immediately relieve the public from inflation and expensive electricity,” it is surprising that Jamaat-e-Islami still believed in the government’s promises to end the sit-in.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has disappointed the public by postponing the sit-in in their own interest. It has created the impression that Jamaat-e-Islami, as usual, has pleased someone by suddenly organizing and then abruptly ending the sit-in, leaving behind the shattered hopes and expectations of the public.
On August 12, 2024, Jamaat-e-Islami held another rally on Lahore’s Mall Road, making loud claims, but this rally was merely an attempt to cover up the embarrassment of the Rawalpindi sit-in. During the sit-in, the government and Prime Minister of Bangladesh crumbled. It was expected that Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan’s leadership would draw courage from this historic event, but this too did not happen. Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan seems satisfied with the fact that they have been relieved from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in Bangladesh.
It is understandable that Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan’s leadership is pleased with the downfall of Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government and her escape from Bangladesh.
However, it must be remembered that the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh has made unforgettable sacrifices in the form of executions, something the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan cannot even imagine.
Our Jamaat-e-Islami friends, including Professor Saleem Mansoor Khalid, have written research books on the role of Jamaat-e-Islami in former East Pakistan, showing the inspirational role they played there alongside the establishment.
One of the former leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Khurram Murad, wrote a revealing book based on his personal observations during the days of Pakistan’s breakup, which also sheds light on Jamaat-e-Islami’s commendable role in Bangladesh.
It was because of this very role that the Indian establishment, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Sheikh Hasina Wajed decided to hang the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh, as they continued to uphold the ideology of Pakistan in Bangladesh.
Jamaat-e-Islami has even been disqualified from participating in elections in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the publication and reading of the works of Jamaat-e-Islami’s founder, Syed Maududi, are also banned.
The August 2024 issue of “Tarjuman” (which is the voice of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan) also tells us about the ongoing plight of Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh.
On August 5, 2024, when the elected government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed of Bangladesh were overthrown, and Hasina Wajed managed to flee to India with the help of the Bangladeshi army, some quarters accused Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh of playing a “central” role in the downfall of her government.
The Indian media, for various reasons, played a significant role in spreading this accusation. However, everyone knows that the allegations made by India and its media are baseless.
Those familiar with the situation in Bangladesh know that the key and pivotal role in the downfall of Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government was played by Bangladeshi students.
During the massive and extraordinary revolutionary role of the students in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina imposed restrictions on Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
So how could they have played a role against Hasina Wajed? Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh remained quite cautious. Thus, we saw that on August 5, when Hasina Wajed’s authoritarian and oppressive government was overthrown, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, issued an important message to his nation.
The summary of his message is this: “Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh thanks Allah for the downfall of Hasina Wajed’s government and pays tribute to the students of Bangladesh who played a fundamental role in this revolution. We are also grateful to the proud Bangladeshi armed forces, who stood by the people.” It is unfortunate to say that while the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh has shown such steadfastness, the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan has not even come close to matching it.