RELIGIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES AND THEIR CONCEPTUALIZATION OF PAKISTAN: A CASE STUDY OF JAMAAT-E -ISLAMI

Abstract

Religion and politics have a strong link, and it continuously growing as a significant theme in the political system, apart from the fact that the modern world is based on the freedom to have any religion and stress is there on the separation of state and religion. This study is an attempt to critically analyze the changes in the organizational structure and agenda of JI with the idea of the creation of Pakistan, and to highlight the influence of declaration of Pakistan political and religious standing of JI as an Islamic party. Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) is one of the prominent groups with religious ideology that deals for its political objectives through legitimate means. This party was created in 1941, with its own proper written constitution. With the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, JI as a religious party started to fulfil its objectives, keeping in consideration the defined boundaries of the constitution of the Pakistani state.  JI consider Islam as the single and sole significance of life that encompasses over all purposes of life and gives no significance to all the other aspects of existence. This core belief of these religious groups enables all their groups a justification to establish an Islam-based political system in Pakistan. JI is operating in a democratic system as a political party, but its vision is to look at the state of Pakistan through an Islamic lens. Although apparently there is no contradiction to the democratic principles by this party, it takes all the other ethnic identities and plural diversity as insignificant.