PESHAWAR: Following his election as the central head of Pakistan’s largest Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Sirajul Haq is expected to quit his office as senior minister in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, sources said here yesterday.
Holding the important portfolio of finance in the provincial cabinet, Haq would have to relinquish this office as minister before taking over as the party chief from April 20. This would lead to another reshuffle in the provincial cabinet. However, no formal announcement has yet been made as to when he would resign from the cabinet.
This would be the second time that Haq would be sacrificing his cabinet job for the party. He had quit as minister in 2005 when the party leadership asked him to choose between the cabinet berth and the office of the JI provincial president. He had opted for the latter.
Known for his honesty and simplicity, Haq has made it to the top-most position of the JI, which has the reputation of democratic culture and discipline in its ranks. “I have no expression right now. Let’s see how things go. May Allah enable me to shoulder this huge responsibility,” Haq remarked when reached on the phone.
The election of Haq is unprecedented in the 73-year history of the JI. The incumbent head of the party Munawar Hassan and general secretary Liaquat Baloch were also in the run for the office and it has never happened in the history of the party that the incumbent head remains in the contest and fails to get elected.
Haq’s election as the JI chief would have a profound impact on the party’s politics. Unlike his predecessor, he is considered flexible and tolerant. He is media-friendly and has more experience of parliamentary politics. INTERNEWS
