Both TNFJ and TIP represent the influential Shia Muslim vote bank, a Godsend for Sharif’s Deobandi-Sunni party.
By Naveed Naqvi
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) continues to enter into alliances with smaller parties as a strategy to bolster its position in the upcoming by-elections to several seats of the provincial assembly of the Punjab province.
By-elections to 20 Punjab Assembly seats, scheduled for July 17, 2022, are being seen as an important battle in the country’s most populous province ahead of next year’s general election.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, is stretching itself to limits achieve a good outcome in the showdown, and recently signed up two smaller religious groups in alliance.
In the most recent instance of PML-N deal making, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Fiqah-e-Jaffaria (TNFJ) and Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) – two competing groups of the Pakistani Shia Muslim community – separately announced joining hands in alliance with Sharif’s party.
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Fiqah-e-Jaffaria (TNFJ) announced the other day its support for the PML-N candidates in the Punjab Assembly by-elections. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musaddik Malik has said that the government will block the way of banned parties working under different names.
Party sources say PML-N leaders Senator Musaddik Malik, the Minister for Petroleum, and Zeeshan Naqvi visited Jammia Al-Murtaza and discussed political alliance for the by-elections with TNFJ Political Cell Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Raja Allama Basharat Emami and Allama Mohsin Ali Hamdani.
Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Senator Musaddik Malik said that PML(N) views the point of view of Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Mousavi with admiration. He said the agreement reached between Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah would be fully implemented and a committee will be formed for this purpose.
He reiterated his party’s view that objections to the educational curricula, framed from a narrow denominational point of view, would be removed.
Chairman TNFJ Political Cell Zulfiqar Ali Raja reiterated the long-standing position of Mousavi and TNFJ that fielding a candidate or soliciting votes on the basis of sect, language, or any other prejudice is poison for the country.
For this purpose, TNJF has always supported national-level parties in elections and is still committed to it. After the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Shahbaz Sharif appealed for electoral cooperation from TNJF in the Punjab by-elections and negotiations with the PML-N leaders, it was decided to ensure the provision of legitimate rights to all schools of thought and religious denominations in Pakistan.
Earlier Friday, Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) separately announced it would support PML-N candidates in the by-elections.
On the direction of Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi, the head of ITP, Allama Shabbir Mehsumi and Allama Nazar Taqvi announced their support for PML-N in a press conference along with Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir.
According to details, PML-N and ITP reached an understating for by-elections in Punjab province under which ITP will support PML-N candidates in 20 constituencies of Punjab.
The announcement was made by PML-N leader Khurram Dastgir, Federal Minister for Water and Power and Allama Dr Shabbir Hassan Maisami, Central General Secretary of the Islamic Tehreek Pakistan, along with Zahid Ali Akhunzada and PML-N leader Zeeshan Naqvi while addressing a joint press conference.
On the occasion, Federal Minister Khurram Dastagir said that the understanding under which Islami Tehreek Pakistan will support PML-N candidates had been reached after successful talks between PML-N and Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and leaders of ITP.
He said Naqvi, the head of ITP, had played an important role in the development of the country and the nation. “We hope that the best outcomes of this understanding will continue in the future, which will enable to support the best interests and the ongoing joint struggle for the survival of democracy”, he said.
Allama Dr Shabbir Hassan Maisami, Central Secretary General of ITP, said that reconciliation between PML(N) and ITP was in the best interest of the country and the nation would surely prove fruitful.
He voiced his party’s hope that PML-N would play its part in resolving the problems of the people by implementation of the points of reconciliation.
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