The influence of pirs or spiritual leaders is visible on our social and political spheres.
The footprints of institutions, such as shrine, manat, and bayat can be traced in millions of the families in urban and rural localities of Pakistan. Their influence is so strong that even politicians, government quarters, social scientists and economists also invoke their blessings for the success of their programmes.
The institutions of shrines used to inspire the public at large for peace, harmony and cultural diversity until the government started holding their control through the Auqaf Department. The governmental control on shrines only impacted a portion of the income of their caretakers but failed to lessen their influence on the public mind. After the inception of Auqaf, these pirs started playing active politics.
Consider the example of the Bahauddin Zakariya and Shah Rukn-i-Alam shrines, located at Qilla Kuhna Qasim Bagh in Multan.
The Auqaf Department has placed its money collection boxes there but followers after paying visit to the shrines, go to their caretaker of the shrines - Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi - and pay him the homage and the money to seek his blessing for spiritual ecstasy. Qureshi’s followers run in million, mostly in Sindh and Punjab districts. Mr Qureshi’s support can influence the results of several constituencies.
Like Qureshi, there are scores of pirs who have their pockets of followers across Pakistan. If we start from Multan, the city of saints or Madinatul Aulia, we can see several pirs running their political careers. Along Mr Qureshi stands former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is the caretaker of the shrine of Musa Pak Shaheed. Makhdoom Moni Shah is the caretaker of Darbar Sher Shah. Javed Hashmi, who started his career as a student leader, took refuge in the pir sector, and now he states himself to be the claimant of Makhdoom Rasheed shrine caretaker. He likes to be called Makhdoom. During the Nawaz Sharif rule in 1997-1999, he tried to take the control of shrines of Bahauddin Zakariya and Shah Rukn-i-Alam with the support of the Auqaf Department but the followers only accepted the Qureshi family as their spiritual guides.
In neighbouring districts of Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Rajanpur, Jhang, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Okara, pirs have their pockets of followers.
In Muzaffargarh, Bukhari brothers are the descendant of the Darbar Khaand Shrif; in Dera Ghazi Khan, the khwajagan of Taunsa Sharif are heavy weight political players;, in Ranjapur the Koreejas of Khwaja Ghulam Farid shrine, in Layyah the caretakers of Pir Jaggi Sharif and Pir Sehwag Sharif, in Jhang the Sahibzadas of Sultan Bahu darbar and Faisal Saleh Hayat of Shah Jewena, in Faisalabad the followers of Sahibzada Fazal Karim, in Bahawalpur the Awaisi political family, in Sahiwal the pir Khagga family, in Okara Samsam Bukhari who is the caretaker of Pir Karmanwala, and so on are political figures. Their support is vital for the ruling party to sustain their rule.
The PML-N government recently faced a huge blowback from the Brelvi sect over the wording of the electoral bill.
To make up the loss, in the ongoing month of Rabiul Awal, the Sharif family leaked to the media that mehfils of Milad would be held on the residences of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. The proceedings of these sessions were broadcast live on PTV.
But the clergy is not impressed.
Now, we hear that five lawmakers have resigned on the orders of (or in solidarity with) Pir Sialvi of Sargodha after the government refused to oust Rana Sanaullah from the ministry office over his statement on Qadiyanis.
It seems that after the debacle of Faizabad Chow sit-in, where the government completely surrendered to the clerics, the PML-N government has decided to resist these pirs.
If this is the case, it is likely the PML-N is likely to lose 30-40 seats in Punjab.
Given the level of exploitation of the pirs, it seems the PML-N has planned to take them head on.
This is a good cause.
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