Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (Fazl) also Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) or simply as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Urdu: ; ; JUI-F) is a Deobandi Sunni political party in Pakistan. Established as the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1945, it is the result of a factional split in 1988, F standing for the name of its leader, Fazal-ur-Rehman. It has been called "the biggest religio-political party" in Pakistan, with "proven street power", (as of 2021 at least). It is almost entirely based in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, which are mostly inhabited by Pashtuns. JUI-F is the largest splinter group of the original JUI, which split into two factions in 1980 over the policy of Pakistani president Zia-ul-Haq of supporting Mujahideen outfits in the Afghanistan war. The other faction, the much smaller JUI-S, led by Samiul Haq, is of regional significance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two other small splinter groups are the Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Nazryati (JUI-N) which split off in 2007, but merged back into JUI-F in 2016; and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P), led by Muhammad Khan Sherani which broke off in 2020. The party is registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan as simply "Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam", but is still commonly referred "Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F)". History