Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan’s three-day Ijtema-e-Aam 2025 will conclude on Sunday with an address by JI Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman.
The 25th congregation at Lahore’s Greater Iqbal Park (Minar-e-Pakistan Ground) began on Friday with Rehman’s inaugural speech.
Hafiz Naeem is the sixth Emir (also spelled Ameer), succeeding the party’s founder Syed Abul A’la Maududi, followed by Mian Tufail Mohammad, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Syed Munawar Hassan, and Sirajul Haq. The JI has held an Ijtema-e-Aam during the tenure of every elected Emir since its founding in 1941.
Since his election as Emir in 2024, Hafiz Naeem has made several attempts to regain the public support the party has gradually lost over time. The JI’s vote bank, which once numbered in the tens of thousands, has shrunk in many constituencies to only a few thousand — in some cases even a few hundred. After taking charge, Rehman launched a campaign against inflated electricity bills and IPP agreements, but it achieved only partial success. The Balochistan Rights Long March, initiated by the party’s provincial chapter, also failed to gain momentum.
The Lahore Ijtema-e-Aam is his third major attempt to demonstrate political strength. Its success or failure will inevitably influence Rehman’s political trajectory.
Jamaat-e-Islami and Establishment:
Many have long linked the JI with being a “B-team” of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment — a label the party has consistently and vehemently rejected.
However, the Punjab government’s decision to relax Article 144 specifically for the JI gathering, while maintaining a complete ban on the political activities of other parties, once again raised eyebrows.
As the congregation began on Friday, it failed to draw the massive crowds the JI had projected. Party leaders claimed the Ijtema would become a historic political gathering, yet independent estimates suggest that only 20,000 to 30,000 people attended on the first day.
Foreign delegations, particularly those representing Islamist movements aligned with the JI, were also present. A sizeable number of women members and supporters participated as well, with separate arrangements made for them.
Addressing the attendees, the JI Emir and other leaders vowed to bring “real change” to Pakistan through a peaceful resistance movement, asserting that only Jamaat-e-Islami can transform the lives of the people. However, a key question remains: are the people ready to embrace the party? Historically, Pakistan’s voters have shown limited support for religious parties — including the JI.
