ISLAMABAD, July 24: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday said successive dictatorial governments’ deliberate attempts to weaken mainstream political parties and create political vacuums produced a conducive environment for religious parties to flourish.

Deliberating on “Religious politics in Pakistan: One step forward or two backward?”, the speakers said the emerging international scenario and marginalisation of mainstream political parties was also providing chances for these groups to fill the vacuum.

The event was organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

Zaigham Khan, a development consultant, said religious politics picked up momentum in the 1970s and the politicians went on to form their own armed wings.

“During the Zia era, religious groups were even included in the decision-making process and formulation of government policies such as the Hudood ordinances,” said Mr Khan.

He said like successive dictators President Gen Pervez Musharraf also created a political vacuum. Under state patronage, religious politics found the chance to fill the vacuum making significant inroads into the democratic process, he added.

“Religion and politics should not be related. Mainstream politicians should be allowed to return to participate in the country’s politics,” he said.

Columnist Khurshid Nadeem divided religious parties into two - the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and the rest. He discussed the ideological and strategy changes in the JI.

“During the last 15 to 20 years, there has been significant growth of Islamic thoughts in the world but JI’s contribution has been nil for revival of Islam and political work,” he said.

Referring to other religious groups, he said they were not ideologically sound and visionary as compared to the JI. “In a truly democratic environment in Pakistan, religious parties have no future,” he said.

Tariq Jan, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad, said the future of religious parties was as good as that of other political parties. “It depends on their endeavours and how they communicate with the masses.”

He said JI was the only religious organisation working for social welfare of the people since 1940s. Social services have wedded religion with politics. “We could not implement Islam without political power.

“JI did not oppose the creation of Pakistan but it opposed the creation of a nation state because of its ideological position. Religious politics is not new and it plays a dominant role in South Asia. In Muslim societies, religion cannot be separated from the state,” he said.

Dr Inayatullah, president Commission on Social Sciences, did not approve of religious parties coming to the rescue of the masses.

The liberal thought emerged during the Abbasi era when the work of Greek philosophers were translated and it influenced the Muslim mind. However, this trend disappeared due to the emergence of despotic rule, he said.

Commenting on whether Muhammad Ali Jinnah was liberal or religious, he said both Jinnah and Allama Iqbal had liberal and conservative views at the same time.

After creation of Pakistan, the so-called liberal and democratic intellectuals failed to promote the liberal face of the founders of Pakistan. “Jinnah’s religion was politics,” he said.

Their conservative faces were very much exploited by the religious groups. “Due to its emotional appeal, flexible strategy and international scenario, the religious parties have bright future while democratic forces are scattered and lack strength,” he said.

“The main objective of religious parties is to persuade the masses to subscribe to their way of thinking. They do not care about the bonded labour problem in Sindh and they never said anything about women getting raped in the country. Religious parties cannot solve the problems of the common man. And if they come into power culturally and traditionally human survival will be in trouble,” he maintained.