By Rayees Ahmad Kumar

Despite insistences from his parents, friends and relatives to tie the nuptial with Salma, Zubair was hell-bent to marry his high school friend Sadia. Sadia was an extraordinarily beautiful and good mannered girl who was the lone daughter of her well off parents. Her father was a company secretary while her mother was a government school teacher. They had brought up her daughter in an environment filled with love, affection and encouragement. They had left no stone unturned to give her the best education and make available for her every facility and means to realise her dreams and fulfill her wishes. To pursue her masters in business administration, her parents whole heartedly allowed her to move abroad. She was anxious to pursue her studies in Europe and her both parents bared the pains of solitude for almost four years but were pleased to see their daughter realising her dreams. During her studies in Europe, one day she had accidentally met Zubair in a coffee canteen of the university who was also her classmate during high school. Zubair had come there a year ago and was pursuing management studies. With each passing day both Zubair and Sadia developed fresh acquaintance and their bond grew stronger. Soon they were fast friends and pledged to live the rest part of their life together as husband wife. Sadia was a pampered daughter of her parents so they would in no way decline her wish to marry Zubair an academically intelligent and bold guy. But it was Zubair’s family who desired to marry their son with Salma a noble and righteous daughter of her middle class parents. Though she wasn’t as beautiful as Sadia but her heart was as pure as driven snow and was an obedient daughter. After completing his studies abroad Zubair immediately was absorbed as a manager of a leading public sector bank after qualifying a tough banking exam. He not only built a splendid three storey house but also bought a comfortable luxurious car. His parents too enjoyed living in cozy rooms of the newly constructed house. He left no stone unturned to make them feel pleased and overjoyed. Now their only wish was to marry their son with Salma because in his childhood his mother and Salma’s mother had promised to tie them in nuptial. However Zubair was all determined to marry Sadia because their years of deep relationship had brought them so closer that they pledged to marry together. Sadia was too attached to Zubair so was Zubair. Spending leisure time in green lawns of university, enjoying hot and refreshing coffee in the the university canteen and helping each other in academic affairs was their routine during their stay abroad.
However Zubair had finally to get married with Salma when his parents, friends and other relatives insisted him and declined his desire to marry Sadia. First few months of marriage were tough and tense for Salma as he never loved and cared her the way a selfless husband should. Soon after returning from the office, instead of giving time to his spouse he preferred to meet his friends for hours and returned home at bed time. Many times she complained to her parents about the abnormal behavior of her husband who could do nothing except advising their daughter to remain patient. Salma was doing house chores and spending the melancholic period in Zubair’s home but he was still inclined towards Sadia. On one fateful day, while returning from office he met an accident and both his lower limbs got severely fractured. He was operated at city hospital and remained bedridden for almost six moths. He couldn’t move without a human help, wasn’t able to take meals independently and when he felt the urge to urinate, except Salma no one even from his own family members came to his help. For all six months Salma stood as an all time friend to Zubair. She helped him to do an advised daily physiotherapy, recalled him to take a daily dose of prescribed medicines and helped him to urinate. She almost caged herself for six long months as she never got a chance even to meet her ailing old parents. But her priority was always to sit besides her husband during the tough times of predicament. After six months when Zubair was fit and fine and resumed his duties, he realised his mistake and apologized to Salma for all that he did previously to dishearten her. Now after returning from office, instead of meeting his friends he spent the beautiful moments in company of Salma and brought fruits and other eatables which Salma loved. He not only remained a loyal and faithful husband to Salma from now onwards but his own parents too felt appeased and contented.

By R C Ganjoo

Pakistan’s political culture is now outmoded. As a result, it has caused a serious threat to the integrity, economic development, and overall progress of Pakistan.
It goes without saying that in Pakistan in the present political environment, the political parties have become fiefdoms but subsequently trying to save the entire concept of democracy.
It was observed in the February 8 elections in Pakistan that gave a severe blow to Pakistan’s Islamist parties. A major Islamist party that experienced a humiliating defeat mainly Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s, the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). The other Islamic political parties that actively participated in the February 8 polls were Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, and the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Nazriati but failed to achieve their goal. What are the root causes that the Islamist parties are on the way to being irrelevant in Pakistan’s electoral politics? It was observed that the influence of religio-political parties in Pakistani politics was silently returned through democratic assertiveness.
In Pakistan’s political system, there are significant numbers of religio-political parties. Out of the 167 parties registered with the Election Commission, roughly 25 have Islamist or sectarian names, reflecting their religious affiliations.
Imran Khan’s supporter retired Lt-Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi in his nine-point proposal, called for a ceasefire between all the warring parties in the country and a period of calm reflection. He suggested bringing down the boiling temperature by letting the incumbents stay in office for two years under protest of just black armbands and avoiding more dramatic, potent, or disruptive such as public demonstrations
He also called for the closure of court cases, an end to the imprisonment of PTI leaders, and a cessation of harsh verbal exchanges between rivals. His party leader had other ideas and named the army chief as the person responsible for his continued imprisonment, claiming that if anything were to happen to him, or his wife, the most powerful man in the country would be directly responsible. He also called on his supporters to stand up and be counted or be content with a life of ‘slavery’.
In the February 8 elections, Islamist parties received almost 12 percent of votes in the country, according to a report by Gallup Pakistan. After PTI-backed independent candidates, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) respectively, the fourth largest party in the country was TLP (Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan,) with 2.8 million votes. Party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, his sons, and other prominent leaders lost to PTI-backed candidates. Only Fazl’s brother, Maulana Ubaidur Rehman, managed to retain his provincial assembly seat. This loss in its traditional base gave a major blow to the party. JUI-F leaders privately attributed the poor performance and the rise of the opposing PTI to public dissatisfaction with inflation and the government’s crackdown on the PTI. JUI-F and JI received 2.1 million and 1.3 million votes respectively, and their combined votes are slightly more than the TLP. According to Bilal Gilani, the director of Gallup Pakistan, “The average vote for Islamic parties is around 5 percent. So, vote-wise, they have done well. However, the ability of Islamist parties failed to convert votes into seats and saw a setback both in 2018 and in the 2024 polls.”
The rise of PTI under Imran Khan was a blow to the electoral fortunes of Islamist parties. Firstly, PTI effectively positioned itself as the outsider, challenging the status quo traditionally associated with both the PML-N and PPP, and some Islamist parties, including the JUI-F and the JI. Secondly, PTI focused on a broader national agenda that transcended purely religious themes. Imran Khan , a champion of liberalism, simultaneously appealed to Islamic values, such as his references to the state of Medina and anti-Western sentiment. This strategy proved successful in his favour. Khan skilfully used the “Medina state” as a model for social justice, which vibrated with voters seeking a society based on Islamic principles without noticing the extremism and sectarianism of some Islamist parties.
Political experts do acknowledge that people in Pakistan have a disconnection between religious values and real politics. According to experts, political parties prioritise pragmatism and compromise moral principles, leading to a perception of deceitful tactics and a disconnect from religious ideals. This was also observed that religious scholars should avoid politics entirely and focus solely on offering spiritual guidance.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the conduct of recent elections, the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman criticised the flaws in the electoral system. Like other Islamist parties, members of the Jamaat-i-Islami have been questioning the party’s future relevance due to consistently poor electoral performances.
Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has decided to launch an anti-government movement without the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to media reports, JUI-F leadership had expressed displeasure over the recent statement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur regarding the Feb 8 election rigging
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief has advised the ruling parties to relinquish the government and pass the baton to PTI while announcing a ‘million march’ against election rigging. He warned that any attempts to obstruct their protest would result in trouble.
The JUI-F chief said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari should step aside and let the Imran Khan-led party take the helm as it has the majority in the National Assembly.