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LAHORE –Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan is expanding its top decision making body the 60-member Majlis-e-Shura (Upper Council) by adding 11 female members.

For the first time in its 74-year-old history JI will be giving women share in party’s decision making. For the purpose the constitution of the party was amended in the Shura meeting recently held at Mansora (JI head office). The female members to become part of Shura will be elected by direct vote of party’s women workers.

The move is considered a very progressive approach in contemporary times considering the fact that Islamist parties in Pakistan and all over the world hardly give women any representation in the decision making.

It also improves the public image of religious parties and also refutes the West’s view that women are not given any rights in Islamist organisations.

Samia Raheel Qazi, female leader of the JI and daughter of party’s former chief late Qazi Hussain Ahmed, told The Nation that 10 female members of the Shura would be elected through direct voting of party’s women workers.

“Out of 26,000 JI workers in Pakistan 4,000 are females and they will directly vote for the Shura’s women representatives,” she said.

“Jamaat-e-Islami Women Wing Secretary General would be the 11th member of Shura,” Samia explained.

When asked as to who are the popular candidates she said it was up to the voters to decide. “The voters will decide the suitable candidates,” she said.

Samia being an advocate of women representation in political matters, however, was not in favour of fielding female candidates on general seats election for national or provincial assemblies. “There is no bar in the constitution for women contesting on general seats. However, our environment doesn’t suit women to take part in election. If there will be suitable environment JI women workers will contest on general seats as well,” she was of the view.

According to sources in the party the possible member of the Shura could be Samia Raheel Qazi, Durdana Siddiqui, Dr Firdus Kausar, Dr Humaira Tariq, Aisha Syed, Aisha Munawar and Dr Rukhsana Jabeen.

On a query whether the party’s members from the religious minorities would also be included in the Shura JI’s central leader and spokesperson for the party Ameerul Azeem said that Jamaat could consider the option for giving them representation in the near future. The party had minorities’ representation for many years but the minority wing was formally established last year.

Since the election of Sirajul Haq as party chief Jamaat’s style of politics is rapidly changing. About four months back party’s meeting was held at Minar-e-Pakistan. Prominent personalities from all minorities were invited.

A professor of Islamic Studies from Punjab University having an in-depth knowledge about pan-Islamist organisations said that Jamaat is going to restructure all departments.

“The JI now speaks against privatization and advocates farmers’ rights. It is a socialist touch of a purely Islamist party,” he said on condition of anonymity. “JI is following the line of Muslim Brotherhood, which changed its old style of politics and eventually became a popular party of Egypt,” he said.

JI foreign affair wing head Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, however, doesn’t think that JI is following any other Islamic party’s policy especially in case of giving women representation in its Shura.

“The Islamist parties in the world have many things in common but they make decisions according to their own society’s need.

“The JI shouldn’t be compared with the Muslim Brotherhood. Our working is different,” Aziz said.