LAHORE - Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) must review its strategy after result of by-polls in NA-120.

The number of votes it secured in the constituency show people have no interest in Jamaat’s politics. It’s high time for the JI leadership to sit together and decide whether it will continue with traditional political style or revisit its ideological politics preached by late Syed Mododi {the party’s founder},” Abid Hussain, a disappointed JI worker and councillor from a Sheikhupura constituency commented on his Facebook page.

“What I believe is that Sirajul Haq has brought such a destruction for the Jamaat that no other Amir of the party has ever brought,” Abid received a comment from another person on his post.

Apart from social media criticism on JI performance, the outcome is also “shocking and unexpected” in view of Jamaat-e-Islami’s central leader and spokesperson Ameerul Azeem.

“Yes! the result is shocking for us. But, the performance of a political and religious party cannot be judged from the results from a single constituency,” he said while replying to The Nation queries on performance of the JI in NA-120.

The trend of voting, according to his opinion, shows people vote for those who were in main race.

“We are feeling that the two-party system is again taking roots in the country. Wealth plays a main role in our elections,” he said while citing reasons of the defeat. The other cause, he admitted, was that the JI could not approach religious parties to gain their support in favour of its candidate.

“Yes, we could not approach JUP, Markazi Jamiat Ehlehadth and other parties in the election campaign. Yes, we could not run an impressive campaign,” he admitted.

Azeem, however, was optimistic and claimed the election results could be different if religious parties succeeded in making an alliance. But the formation of such alliance, he added, was possible near general elections.

Only 592 people voted for the JI in a by-election in Lahore’s constituency which has over 300,000 registered voters and which had fallen vacant after the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The number was so disappointing that it pushed the entire leadership to sit together in Mansoora, the JI headquarters in Lahore.

Insiders say that some outspoken leaders even pointed fingers at the performance of party’s Lahore chapter chief who was in-charge of election campaign and other local leaders and called for their replacement. However, JI officially negated that such a debate ever took place.

Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a party representing Brelvi school of thought and recently registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan, bagged 7,130 votes and stood third while Milli Muslim League’s (MML) candidate, Jamaat-ud-Dawa-backed party of only 30 days of age, received 5,822 votes and got fifth position in election results.

Although, the numbers are negligible when compared with PML-N and PTI votes, they were too high as compared to JI, the party which is more than six decades old and considered one of the most organised religio-political parties of Pakistan.

The Nation approached leaders of all mainstream religious parties to get their input on NA-120 results. They were asked whether a proposed future alliance of religious organisations could show impressive results in the coming general elections, and also why they did not support any religious party’s candidate in NA-120 instead of standing with PML-N or PTI.

Some of them spoke on condition of anonymity, but all were unanimous in saying that unity amongst country’s religious parties was need of the hour. However, they did not have any satisfactory answer when asked if unity among them was possible?

In NA-120, country’s main religious party JUI-F supported PML-N. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, a Brelvi organisation and Markazi Jamiat Ehlehadith, a Wahabi party led by Professor Sajid Mir, also openly supported the ruling party although the parties (TLP and MML), having the same schools of thought were also in the field. Majlise Wahdatul Muslimeen, a party holds grip on majority of Shia votes in Pakistan, and Sunni Ittehad Council, a conglomerate of more than a dozen Brelvi organisations, supported PTI’s Yasmin Rashid in the elections. JUI-S, Maulana Samiul Haq-led Deobandi party, and Allama Sajid Naqvi led Islami Tehreek stood neutral.

“I believe election results will be different if religious parties enter the next general elections with unity. But, the attitude of two major parties (JI and JUI-F) is completely disappointing and this is the main obstacle in the formation an alliance. Both parties look towards mainstream political parties for support. One is an ally of PTI in KP and other supports PML-N in the Centre,” said Pir Ijaz Hashmi, president of the JUP.

Asked why his party had not supported candidate of any religious party instead of standing with PML-N in NA-120, he said none of the religious parties had contacted JUP for support.

A central leader of JUI-S, on condition of anonymity, complained against the attitude of Maulana Fazalur Rehman, the chief of JUI-F, and termed it a stumbling block in the way of alliance of religious parties although he believed that unity among religious groups had the capacity to give surprising results in any election.

JUI-F leader said that efforts were being made to unite the religious parties. Markazi Jamiat Ehlehadith leader said they were not only ready to be the part of alliance, but Prof Sajid Mir had repeatedly highlighted the need.