File photo of JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan. Arif Ali—AFP
Karachi-based leader’s funeral prayers will be offered tomorrow (June 27)
Former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hasan died on Friday at a Karachi hospital, where he had been admitted several days ago after his health deteriorated, his political party announced on Twitter. He was 78.
Born in Delhi on Aug. 5, 1941, Hasan and his family moved to Lahore after Partition in 1947 before eventually settling in Karachi. He began his career as a politician in 1959 when he was elected the president of the National Students Federation. A year later, he joined the Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and was elected president of its University of Karachi unit, as well as a member of its Central Executive Council. He assumed the IJT’s national presidency in 1964, serving in that capacity for three consecutive terms.
Hasan secured a Master’s degree in Sociology in 1963, and a Master’s in Islamic Studies in 1966, both from the University of Karachi.
Hasan’s career with the Jamaat-e-Islami began in 1967, and during his long association with the party, he served as the assistant secretary, secretary, deputy chief, and finally chief of its Karachi unit. He was subsequently elected to the party’s central shura and its executive council, representing the group at the United Democratic Front and the Pakistan National Alliance.
The former JI chief contested for the National Assembly for the first time in 1977. He was elected the JI’s assistant secretary general in 1992 and became the secretary general a year later.
Hasan was elected the fourth chief of the party in 2009, a position he retained until 2014, when he became the first sitting emir in the history of JI to be voted out of office.
The news of Hasan’s death has prompted an outpouring of condolences from across Pakistan. Information Minister Shibli Faraz posted on Twitter that he was “incredibly saddened” at the JI chief’s demise. “He supported democracy and was a very elegant man,” he added.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) president, Shahbaz Sharif said he was “grieved” to hear of Hasan’s passing. “His services to Pakistan and commitment to Islam were unwavering. May Allah rest his soul in peace! My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the JI workers,” he posted on Twitter.
The JI has announced that Hasan’s funeral prayers would be offered tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.