KARACHI: One of the country’s oldest parties, with a large grassroots following and a reputation of organising itself for the masses’ relief, is all set to ally with an oligarchical group that claims to strive for democracy without practicing the same for itself.
This unusual, ideologically polarised, alliance is being necessitated by the local government elections in the country’s largest city, where collaboration between the two historical rivals could result in a collective rule.
“It’s just hard to see someone so ideologically divergent being your party’s ally,” said a leader of the people’s party, with a tradition of self-accountability among the leadership, while talking to The Dependent.
“But such is politics. Sometimes you’re picking the remains of the broken skulls of their student wings’ members, other times, you’re picking the mayor together,” they added.
“Hal sirf [democracy],” the people’s party leader further appeared to claim.
Critics of the oligarchical jamaat, meanwhile, argue that it is responsible for the country’s Islamisation, accusing it of being run by mullahs at the peak of its powers, paving the way for an Islamist dictator to pulverise the state with the jihadist roots founded by the jamaat.
“Just because they claim to be fighting for democracy and claim that they are a party of the people doesn’t make them so,” said a senior member of the jamaat, which has a reputation for ideological populism centred around dead messiahs.
“Jiye [late founder of the oligarchical group who spearheaded jihadism, Pan-Islamism, and politico-sectarian Islamisation in the country],” the jamaat’s leader chanted.
