@SirajOfficial: Meet the man leading the Jamaat

Senior minister Sirajul Haq’s position as party chief will help JI make a greater mark in politics in the province.

PESHAWAR: Sirajul Haq is an important man in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Not only is he a senior minister, but from April, he will officially be the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

This is the second time the party has chosen an amir from the province – the first being the late Qazi Hussain Ahmed who took charge in 1987.

Haq’s official Twitter account does not say much yet; the 52-year-old has a reputation of being a simple, but restless man.

His appointment as the new chief of the party has set the town talking. Many say he is likely to shape the future course of party politics. He has taken over at a crucial time when the party and province are facing mounting challenges.

Haq is a savvy politician who has more experience in parliamentary politics as compared to the outgoing amir, Syed Munawar Hasan. During the intraparty elections, Haq beat Hasan and his deputy Liaquat Baloch for the party’s top slot. His position as party chief will help the party make a greater mark in politics in the province while his diplomatic nature can also help JI manoeuver through tricky situations.

Home ground advantage

Haq is the second JI chief to be elected from K-P after Qazi Hussain Ahmed who led the party for about 22 years after taking over from Mian Tufail Muhammad in 1987. Like Qazi, Haq has taken charge of the party at a comparatively younger age. Qazi was just 49, while Hasan was 65 when he took over in 2009.

Qazi was one of the party’s longest serving chiefs of the party and Siraj is likely to follow his trajectory, as he has yet to encounter any headstrong contenders for leadership in the near future.

What we know about Haq

Sirajul Haq was born in Samarbagh, Lower Dir in 1962. He did his undergraduate from Timergarah College and then went to University of Peshawar for a master’s degree in education.

For about three years, Haq led the provincial chapter of JI’s student wing Islami Jamiat Talaba’s (IJT). Haq also served as headmaster at a government school but left soon after joining.

In 1988, he was made chief of the IJT after he officially became a member of the party. Haq also served as JI’s provincial general secretary. He was made senior minister for finance during the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government but resigned to become the provincial amir of the party.

In 2009, he was appointed senior vice amir of the party by Hasan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2014.