The Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) is Pakistan’s leading religious-political party with a strong support base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Whether in alliance with the ruling party or sitting on the opposition benches, guided by the political genius of Maulana Fazalur Rahman the JUI has always played an important role in Pakistan’s political arena.

The JUI’s role became even more significant after the 2018 general elections, which brought its fierce rival, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) into power in the centre as well as in three out of the country’s four provinces. And the PTI has enjoyed over three years of relatively Opposition-less rule, as the country’s two main political parties, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML N) have remained ineffective on countless issues of national and international importance. Against this backdrop, the only visible anti-government front is the JUI-spearheaded Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which, considering the component players and circumstances, is an undeniable achievement. Because no matter how ineffective, the PDM still acts as the only headache for the otherwise seemingly entrenched PTI, as it keeps challenging the ruling party.

“Unilaterally opposing the unpopular acts of the government is not enough. Being the only seriously concerned political force, the JUI needs to take the PML-N and PPP on board in order to pose an effective challenge to the government,” said political analyst Haq Nawaz Khan. That notwithstanding,

Khan conceded that an increasing number of people in KP were seemingly satisfied with the JUI’s moves against the sitting government. “ The JUI has secured many victories against bigger opponents, particularly the PTI, in 17 districts of KP in the first phase of the local bodies elections. These results have engendered a strong conviction in party ranks that they can seriously compete against the ruling party in the next general elections,” he stated.

However, although many people undoubtedly saw the JUI as the better option in the local bodies elections, it is also a possibility that the political change in Afghanistan is one of the reasons behind this success in those parts of KP that are adjacent to Afghanistan. People in the southern and tribal districts of KP are of a similar ideological bent to, and share an overall ethos with people in Afghanistan.

The only significant difference between them is that unlike Pakistan, where a democratic political system, however flawed, is in place, the Taliban in Afghanistan came into power without an electoral process.

“Only time will tell if the politics in Pakistan, particularly in KP and Balochistan will be shaped due to the change in Afghanistan, but there is always a spillover of influence in the areas close to the Afghan border. I feel that we might see another Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) emerging, securing a victory for the religious parties in the two provinces in the next general elections,” Khan contended.

According to Peshawar-based political analyst Lehaz Ali, the increase in the JUI’s popularity in KP is mainly due to the fact that people are tiring of the incompetency of the government.

“The JUI has been protesting against the PTI government since the day Imran Khan was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. It is fair to say that the JUI and Maulana Fazalur Rehman have been protesting for the past three-and-a-half years on their own, and with the support of other major political parties. People in Pakistan quickly start supporting parties who are able to raise their voice for the people and I think the JUI has been able to perform well on that front,” said Ali.

He noted that it often happens that while going into alliances with bigger political parties, smaller parties lose their identities. Interestingly, this has not been the case with the JUI The party has remained intact despite going into different alliances in the past three decades. “I think this is an achievement that owes mainly to Maulana Fazalur Rahman. He has kept his focus on his goals and has kept the JUI charged and motivated throughout the years,” Ali added.

Another reason for the rise in the JUI’s popularity in KP is that it has wisely chosen to keep itself aloof from the blame game. After the falling out of the PDM’s component parties, PPP and Awami National Party (ANP) leaders made several unflattering remarks against Maulana Fazalur Rahman and the JUI, but neither the Maulana nor his party leaders responded to any mudslinging. They know that the two parties bad-mouthing the JUI will be needed for any serious move against the government. That is why the party has kept its doors open for all.

“The JUI knows its limitations and keeping in mind potential future alliances, it doesn’t want to have bad relations with any party. But the JUI is not aiming to form a government at the centre in 2023;  it knows it can’t do so on its own. The best it can hope to achieve is to form, or be part of the provincial governments in KP and Balochistan, while getting one or two ministries in the centre,”  maintained Ali.

For JUI secretary information, Abdul Jalil Jan, his party’s main focus is to convince political forces like the PPP and ANP to rejoin the JUI’s anti-government campaign.

“We never accepted the selected government or its anti-people and anti-Pakistan policies. However, in our political system, one party alone cannot pose any serious threat to the government. So we must combine our efforts to get rid of these incompetent rulers,” said Jalil Jan.

After the JUI’s initial sit-in protests and long marches against the government, the Maulana had brought all the Opposition parties under the platform of the PDM. However, not long thereafter, the PPP and ANP left the PDM after developing differences with them over various issues. “We have the firm support of PML-N, the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) and Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) “ said Jan. “But our doors are always open for the PPP and ANP, as only through a combined effort can we achieve our goals,” he added, without levelling any blame against the two parties that had deserted the PDM in the past.