Formation The JUI follows the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam. In Pakistan, Deobandis have a presence in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP),
Sindh, and
Balochistanas well as Punjab. The JUI traces its roots to politically active Deobandi who formed the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) in 1919 in
British India. The JUH was against colonialism and for a united India, opposing the formation of a separate homeland for
Indian Muslims. A faction supporting the
creation of Pakistan parted ways in 1945 to support the
All Indian Muslim League. This faction came to be known as the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI).
United JUI JUI's first president,
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, broke away from the party in 1947 to form the
Markazi Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (MJUI), which played a key position in the passage of the Objectives Resolution of 1949 that laid down the "Islamic" foundations of future constitutions in Pakistan. Mahmood led the JUI against
Ayub Khan's modernisation policies. The JUI also participated in the 1970 elections with the
Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP). It won seven seats in the National Assembly and nine in the provincial assemblies and became a partner in the
NWFP and
Balochistan provincial governments. Mufti Mahmood was sworn in as NWFP chief minister. Under him, the provincial government established a board to bring all laws in conformity with Islam. He resigned in 1973 over Bhutto's dismissal of the Balochistan provincial government.
Split into JUI (F) and JUI-S During the 1980s, the JUI supported some of
General Zia ul Haq's policies, including his anti-Soviet
Jihad in Afghanistan. Additionally, official patronage and financial support for
madrassas during the Zia years allowed the JUI to build thousands of madrassas, especially in the NWFP (now KPK), which were instrumental in the
formation of the Taliban. At the same time the JUI was distrustful of Zia's close ties with the
Jamaat-e-Islami and joined the anti-Zia and
PPP-led
Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD).
JUI (F) renamed to JUI However, after the assassination of JUI-S chief Samiul Haq in 2018, the activities of his faction gradually died down. This lead Moulana Fazal-ur-Rehman to successfully plead before
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to get his JUI (F) faction renamed as
JUI in March 2019. About 30,000
Afghan students from JUI-controlled madrassas (both JUI (F) and JUI-S) in Pakistan joined the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. In contrast to Maulana Samiul Haq and his JUI-S openly supporting militarism, the JUI (F) has a policy of not supporting militant activity and of promoting multi-party electoral politics.
Peace deals The JUI (F) has also played a role in brokering peace deals between the military and militants in Pakistan's tribal belt. For instance, in 2004, two JUI (F) national parliamentarians from
South Waziristan arranged a deal (known as the Shakai agreement) with the
Pakistani Taliban leadership and in September 2006 the JUI (F) helped broker a similar deal in
North Waziristan. These deals have been criticised for legitimising "the status of the local militants as power-brokers". JUI (F) leader Fazlur Rahman is also reportedly involved in negotiating agreements between the Pakistani Taliban and military and the Afghan Taliban and the US. On the political front, the JUI (F) has been more successful than the JUI-S. Fazlur Rahman, leader of the JUI (F), was appointed as chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs in the second government of Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto (1993–96).
History since 2002 The JUI (F) was also the largest party in the MMA, winning 41 seats in the National Assembly and 29 of the MMA's 48 seats in NWFP in the 2002 elections. Subsequently, Fazlur Rahman became the Leader of the Opposition in 2004 and retained the post till 2007. The JUI (F) was also part of the current ruling
PPP coalition but left the government amidst charges of corruption against one of its members, and
information technology minister of the federal cabinet. In return for JUI (F) support, the PPP-led government-appointed Maulana Sherani, a JUI (F) senator without any formal academic training in
Islamic jurisprudence, as chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology in 2010. Sherani has frequently spoken out against the government's legislative efforts, particularly those related to women. He opposed a proposed bill on domestic violence stating that domestic violence was not a major issue in Pakistan until women's rights groups appeared and "created" it and that any such legislation hinders the creation of a "true Islamic society". Even though the JUI (F) no longer remained a coalition partner of PPP, Fazlur Rahman chaired the Kashmir committee during the PPP government and even held the position till the end of PML-N's government in 2018. Both factions of the JUI have frequently come together on a common platform to oppose American drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas, viewing it as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. For example, following the 2 May 2011 U.S. raid in
Abbottabad that led to
Osama bin Laden's killing, the JUI (F), and the JUI-S participated in a multi-party conference in
Peshawar, condemning the drone strikes and calling on the government to end logistical support to
NATO troops in Afghanistan. On the domestic front, members of the JUI (F) have been vocal critics of changes in the
blasphemy laws. Fazlur Rahman and JUI (F) has also opposed the passage of a bill aimed at preventing domestic violence with its members vowing to fight it "tooth and nail" as, according to them, its passage would "promote
Western culture in the Islamic state." In 2008, a further (minor) split of JUI (F) resulted in the formation of a third faction, known as
JUI-N ("N" for
Nazryati "Ideological").
2020 Karak temple attack In 2020, a mob of local Muslims led by a local Islamic cleric and supporters of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) party attacked the historic Hindu temple in the
Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Twelve people were arrested in the aftermath. More
FIRs were registered against over 350 people. Following this attack the "Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill" was introduced in the Senate of Pakistan to avoid similar attack on minority worship places. But the Senate Standing Committee headed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUI (F)) senator
Abdul Ghafoor Haideri turned down the bill saying existing laws were enough to protect minorities. == Electoral history ==