Lahore (Web Desk): Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday was elected as the Emir (chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for the next five years.
According to details, over 45,000 members of the party cast their votes to elect the new emir during the recent intra-party elections.
“Hafiz Naeem received over 80% of the votes and become the sixth emir of the party,” JI Central Information Secretary Qaisar Sharif said.
As per the party’s constitution, elections are held regularly at all levels in the JI, he said, adding, “JI does not belong to any individual or a [certain] family but to every member and worker”.
The selection process for the party chief within Jamaat-e-Islami is a significant affair, occurring every five years. This time, the party's central consultative body, known as the Markazi Shura, proposed three names to lead the JI members.
Among these names were prominent figures including Sirajul Haq Liaquat Baloch, and Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.
Hafiz Naeem is the sixth party leader to occupy the post, following Maulana Abul A’la Maududi (1941-72), Mian Tufail Muhammad (1972-87), Qazi Hussain Ahmed (1987-2008), Munawer Hassan (2008-2013) and Sirajul Haq (2013-2024).
JI's incumbent Emir Sirajul Haq is completing his second term as the party’s head on April 8 (Monday).
Hailing from Karachi, Hafiz Naeem joined the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), the student wing of JI in 1988.
He is a civil engineer by profession who earned his degree from NED university and a masters degree from Karachi University in Islamic history.
In his formative years, Hafiz Naeem twice served as the president of the IJT.
In 2000, Hafiz Naeem became a member of JI and in October 2013, he was appointed as the chief of the party’s Karachi chapter.
He also serves as the president of the Al-Khidmat Karachi chapter, an NGO associated with the JI.