LAHORE  -    Senator Sirajul Haq has been elected Ameer of Jamat-e-Islami for another five years.  JI deputy chief and chief of the party election wing, Asadulah Bhutto announced results at a press conference at Mansoora on Wednesday.

Bhutto said the JI was the only religio-political party holding regular elections for its top offices including the central Ameer.       He said even the founder of JI, Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maudoodi was the elected Ameer from 1941 to 1972. Mian Tufail Muhammad was the second elected Ameer from 1972 to 1987. Qazi Husain held the top party slot from 1987 to 2009 followed by Syed Munawwar Hasan, who was elected Ameer for the period from 2009 to 2014.

He said that the male and the female members enjoyed equal voting right. He said that women wing of the JI had its own election wing. He said that the elections were held in accordance with the Islamic spirit and on true democratic lines. He said that under the party constitution, no member could present himself as a candidate for any office. Similarly, there was no campaign for the candidates.

He said that for the guidance of the members, the Shura had proposed three names for the office of the Ameer. The three names recommended this time were Sirajul Haq, Liaqat Baloch and Prof Muhammad Ibrahim Khan.  However, the members were free to exercise their right to vote.