Qazi Hussain Ahmad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Qazi Hussain Ahmad (Urdu: قاضی حسین احمد) is the president of the Pakistani Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami. He also leads the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal or MMA.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed was born at Ziarat Kaka Sahib in Nowshera, NWFP, Pakistan in 1938. His father Qazi Muhammad Abdul Rab was a religious luminary and a farmer by profession.
After having completed early education at home, Qazi Hussain Ahmed was admitted to Islamia College, Peshawar and got his Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Geography from the University of Peshawar. He served as lecturer for three years, teaching at the graduate level in SWAT NWFP. Inclined more towards business, he did not continue teaching and instead started his own business 34 Sueqarno Chowk Peshawar The business is now administrated by his Son Dr.Anas Farhan Qazi. His affiliation with the Islamic Movement started in his school days when he joined Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, Pakistan. He became member of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in 1978, and was elected the Ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in 1987. He continues to serve in that capacity, getting re-elected twice. His daughter, Mrs.Samia Raheel Qazi, who is an active member of jamaat's women wing , was elected as member of the national assembly in 2002. She was a staunch opponent of the women rights bill proposed by Musharraf government as she believed that this law was against the basic injunctions of Islam. Qazi's son Asif Luqman Qazi Holds a Masters Degree From Boston University USA. He came back to Pakistan in 1994 after completing his studies He is now Deputy Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Nowshehra and Deputy Director Foreign Relations Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan(. His other Daughter Khowla Ahmed Qazi is a well educated Woman has done LLB Shariah from IIUI, and MA English From Wise College Lahore and also involved on a senior level in Jamaat politics. Though his sons and daughters are actively involved in Jamat politics, there is no chance of them becoming the leader of Jamat after Qazi because Jamat-e-Islami has no tradition of electing any son of its leaders as its new leader. Jamat's founder Abul A'la Maududi resigned during his life time and Jamat elected another person, Mian Tufail Muhammad, as its leader. Jamat remains the single political party in Pakistan to hold regular party elections in which no candidate is allowed to campaign for him/herself. Other party members can, however, nominate some person to any job if they think so.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed was first elected as member of the Senate of Pakistan in 1986 for a term of six years. He was re-elected as such in March 1992, but he resigned in 1996 as a protest against the corrupt political system. He got elected from two national assembly seats in the 2002 general elections. He retained the Nowshera seat and vacated the other seat.
Mr. Ahmed has widely travelled abroad to represent the Jamaat at the international forums, leading goodwill missions as well as in his personal capacity to mediate on issues concerning the Muslim Ummah. The Jamaat strongly supported military dictator Zia ul Haq in his "Islamization" of Pakistan, particularly the introduction of the Hudood Ordinances, under which thousands of Pakistani women, some alleged to be rape victims, have been jailed for adultery.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed is well versed in English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Pashto. He is an eloquent orator, seasoned parliamentarian and respected politician. He was Secretary General of the Muttahida Shariat Mahaz in 1986. Although he finds practically no time for any literary or scholarly works, he is the author of several books.
Mr. Qazi Hussain Ahemd Is Anti American & Western Policies. He has also given new shape to the religious politics in Pakistan and is now a strong proponent of democrasy and is against the military rule unlike the Jamat of yesteryears when Mian Tufail Muhammad was its Amir.
In Pakistan today he along with other religious parties have formed a coalition against the Musharaff government, which came to power undemocratically in a military coup. The coalition, called the MMA, have garnered enough support to form a government in the Province of NWFP.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmed has said that holding of both the offices of president and army chief by Gen Pervez Musharraf is unlawful and immoral,the MMA leader said Gen Musharraf should have put off his uniform after December 31, 2004, as he had pledged. But he backed out and this made his position unlawful, he added. While in public having made repeated statements against Musharraf, he played a pivotal role in getting the 17th amendment passed by the parliament which legitimized the General's rule and paved way for army to stay in power.
However in public he put forward several demands, which were resignation of Gen Musharraf as president, an interim government after consensus, restoration of constitution in its original form as that prior to October 12, 1999, and an independent election commission, revamping women rights bill, passing of Hisba bill by senate and finally pulling out of the war on terror,
