Among the ‘believers’
Non-Muslim ‘electables’ of a ‘party for Muslims’
In 2000, Pervaiz Masih was informed he would be contesting local government elections in Peshwar’s Town III from the platform of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). Masih emerged victorious after securing 172 votes in a constituency where the party traditionally polled around 27-35. Today, he heads the JI Khyber Paktunkhwa Minorities’ Wing, peculiar given the Jamaat’s historic reputation as the vanguard of the Islamic revolution.
Not sure, why Jamaat is "courting" these Christians .While Masih does have reservations on minorities not enjoying an equal footing in some areas, he is effusive in his praise for the JI. Beholden, he said, remain him and his coreligionists to the party for letting them forge successful political careers on merit alone.
“I had an audience with (then) Jamaat Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmed in 2002. He told me my ‘trial’ was over and I was being elevated to the National Assembly. I was elected MNA after being awarded a party ticket by president Ahmad Shah Noorani,” the JI K-P Minorities’ Wing chief told The Express Tribune.
Rs 30 Million is a lot of cash . Maybe, the "going price" for an MNA must have increased since that date !Masih claimed then premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali tried his best to lure him to the treasury benches in vain. “His offer of Rs30 million in cash and chairmanship of the minorities’ affairs committee was declined. I have always remained faithful to the Jamaat.” Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (Q) leaders, current and former, remained unavailable for comments despite repeated requests.
Besides Jamaat other mainline parties must also courting "minority votes" .Masih said no other party posed a threat to the JI’s minority candidates on account of sound party strategy. “The Jamaat had 200 minority candidates elected in the 2015 local government elections. Its tally was higher than that of any other party in K-P.”
Speaking about the overrepresentation of Christians vis-a-vis other minorities in the JI, Khalil said it was indeed true that the Jamaat had many Christians in its fold. “While Hindus constitute the nation’s largest minority, the community is concentrated in Sindh. Christians, on the other hand, can be found nationwide.” These Christians in Pakjab and KP are mostly schedule castses converted to Christianity, involved most in menial jobs are sweeping, sanitation workers etc etc
Questioned on the apparent contradiction between the JI being a firm supporter of the nation’s blasphemy law and counting many Christians in its cadre, Khalil said it was prone to misuse. “This can be done with anything. Some cases (of blasphemy) are false, others real. Mob justice, however, is no solution.”
That does not mean anything. Imran Khan ( AKA Taliban Khan ) has also be known to "sympathize" with Christians and other minorities !I Peshawar Minorities’ Wing president Daniel Samuel described the party’s attitude towards non-Muslims as “extremely positive”. “The Al-Khidmat Foundation has been distributing food among needy Christians every Christmas and Easter over 15 years.”
Samuel also spoke about how the NGO had played an active role in the wake of the 2013 Peshawar church bombing. “The community was incapable of helping itself. Over a hundred were killed. Another 250 were injured. Al-Khidmat was god sent. Volunteers helped take the injured to hospitals and bury those killed,” he said.