PESHAWAR: As liberal and secular parties are under attack at a crucial time just ahead of elections, some hardliners and Jihadi groups have given green signal to their activists to participate in the coming general elections and vote for like-minded candidates.
Though Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a Muslim charity organisation led by Hafiz Saeed, and Ansarul Uma of Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, dislike 'western democracy' and don’t directly contest the upcoming elections, but their workers have the choice to vote this time.
The JD, which partly agrees with +the existing parliamentary form of democracy, does not take part in polls, but it also considers the coming elections very crucial for the country, because of Nato’s plan to pull out its forces from Afghanistan by 2014.
“We believe that western democracy is not a perfect system, but this election is very important for Pakistan and the region, and our workers can exercise their right to vote,” said Atiqur Rehman Chohan, JD spokesman in Peshawar.
He said that the JD did not fully believe in western democracy because it served the interests of few personalities and not the entire Muslim Ummah and Pakistan. He said despite that his organisation supported religious parties and groups in the elections and its workers would vote for like-minded candidates and religious parties on May 11.
Religious parties and ulema are showing interest in May 11 elections and for the first time a group of ulema had issued a joint fatwa (decree) in support of the elections. A group of ulema issued the fatwa in Islamabad last week that casting vote was compulsory under the Islamic injunctions and avoiding it a “sin.”
The decree was issued at a time when campaign offices and candidates of Awami National Party, Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement are under attack across the country.
Ansarul Uma, which previously operated under the name of Harkatul Mujahideen before the government declared it a proscribed outfit, has also asked its followers to use vote in favour of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami) candidates.
Mohammad Sajjad, leader of the AU, said that his organisation’s first priority in polls would be the JUI-S candidates and second JUI-F’s. He said that AU had decided to cooperate with Maulana Samiul Haq in elections wherever he had fielded candidates.
“The AU may field its candidates in elections in future,” he said, because he believed use of vote was a religious obligation and in the interest of the country.
Both groups (JD and AU) are members of Difa-i-Pakistan Council, chaired by Maulana Samiul Haq. Insiders said that leaders of various political parties had held meetings with Hafiz Saeed in Lahore and sought his support for elections. However, unlike AU, JD does not disclose its favourite party or candidates in the elections.
Atiq Chohan said that the JD was not satisfied with the manifestos of both religious and political parties.
“India is fully involved in acts of terrorism in Pakistan and is building 62 dams on rivers, but the political leadership and parties are silent about these vital issues,” he said. Political leaders should adopt clear and bold policy against India and America,” he observed.
Sources said that another Jihadi outfit was active in parts of Malakand division, particularly in Lower Dir district. The group’s activists, they said, were running election campaign of a mainstream religious party in the area and also providing logistic support to its candidates.