Two prominent Pakistani politicians, Jahangir Tareen and Sirajul Haq, announced their resignations on Monday following their parties’ poor showing in the recent elections. Tareen, leader of the Istehkam-i-Pakistan, stated that he was stepping away from politics altogether and expressed his respect for the will of the people of Pakistan. Soon after, Sirajul Haq, emir of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), also shared that he had accepted responsibility for his party’s defeat in the elections.
Tareen’s resignation was motivated by his heavy electoral losses in Multan and Lodhran during the general elections. Having a significant stake in politics since 2002, Tareen’s political career has been marred by various challenges, including disqualification by the Supreme Court in 2017 and subsequent allegations of fraud and money laundering by the Federal Investigation Agency in 2021.
Sirajul Haq, who declared assets worth a mere Rs2.9 million in 2018, also faced major defeats in the recent elections, a continuation of a difficult 12 months for JI. Despite efforts to form coalitions with major political parties, JI was unable to secure key victories in local government elections and in the general elections.
Both resignations come at a time of great uncertainty in Pakistani politics, with Tareen and Haq’s parties’ struggling to maintain influence against other political groups.