A Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) cleric has issued a decree claiming that casting a vote in favour of rival party candidates is “haram”. Cleric Abdul Mateen, who is caretaker of a madrassa and former JUI-F district chief, said that since “JUI-F is struggling for enforcement of Shariah, its candidates deserve to be voted (into power). Since, rival candidates do not struggle for Shariah, they do not deserve to be voted into power.” The decree has, however, been questioned by an Islamic scholar Dr Farooq, who says the voter “is the best judge” to determine the best candidate. “This is his (cleric’s) personal opinion,” he said. “Who will guarantee that JUI-fielded candidates are perfect and meet all [the] requirements Shariah demands?” The people observed the JUI-F’s actions during its five-year rule, he added. “The people will not vote them [into power] again. The JUI-F has been tested and there is no need to test them again.”
This is the first time that the JUI-F has issued such a decree. The right-wing conservative party is facing tough rivals in both provincial and National Assembly seats in next week’s parliamentary elections. The text of the decree, or fatwa, states that casting a vote in favour of unqualified candidates is “haram” in the presence of a “qualified and good candidate of the JUI-F”. The decree does not clarify what voters should do if no JUI-F candidate is contesting for either the provincial or National Assembly in a constituency.