Constitutional Amendment, Explanation of Terms

1.         Freedom for Criticism and Accountability

Article 97

1.         Each member of the Jama’at shall have the right to criticise and take into account the Central Organisation in the General Assembly, Provincial Organisation in the Provincial Assembly, Divisional Organisation in the Divisional Assembly, District Organisation in the District Assembly, and Local Organisation in the Local Assembly, subject to the condition that he shall not exceed the limits set by Shari’ah and or ethics and shall not adopt a manner that is damaging for the Jama’at.

2.         If a member has any objection to a decision taken by the President or the Council, or wants to ask about them, he shall have the right to:

a.         Have it presented before the Central Council through any of the Council’s members, or

b.                  Present it personally at the General Assembly, subject to the condition that he shall forward his query or objection to the Secretary General within 10 days of the announcement for the General Assembly session.

3.         The powers for determining the method and procedure for criticism and accountability and raise objections and questions in the General Assembly shall vest in the Central Council.

2.         Powers to make Rules and Regulations

Article 98

The President in consultation with the Working Committee may formulate such rules and regulations as may be required for realising the purposes of this Constitution.

3.         Procedure for Constitutional Amendment

Article 99

1.         Only such proposal for Constitutional amendment shall be considered in the session of the Central Council that is included in its agenda, and for this a notice of fifteen days shall be necessary. The Central Council shall try to reach a consensual decision for the amendment as per the agenda; but in case of differences in opinion, the decision of majority of total members of the Council shall be deemed as the decision of the Council.

2.         If a member of the Jama’at wants to make a proposal for amending the Constitution, he shall state this clearly and to-the-point in writing and forward it to the Secretary General at least 20 days before the commencement of the session of the Council. The proposal shall be included in the agenda after the approval of the President or the Working Committee or its appointed committee. However, the clear and to-the-point proposals sent by the Council members shall necessarily be included in the agenda, provided they reach the Secretary General at least 30 days before the commencement of the session.

4.         Explanation of Terms

Article 100

The terms used in this Constitution shall bear the meanings as given below, unless a term explicitly means differently in a particular context:

1.                  ‘Jama’at’ and ‘Jama’at-e-Islami’ mean ‘Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan.’

2.                  ‘President’ and ‘Central President’ mean ‘President of Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan’.

3.                  ‘Permanent President’ means the President elected under Article 17 by the members of the Jama’at.

4.                  ‘Interim President’ means the President elected under Article 17 (6) by the members of the Central Council.

5.                  ‘Acting President’ means the President appointed under Article 17 (7) by the Central President.

6.                  ‘Council’ and ‘Central Council’ mean the Central Council of Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan.

7.                  ‘Working Committee’ and ‘Central Working Committee’ mean the Central Working Committee of Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan.

8.                  ‘Subordinate Presidents’ means Presidents of Provincial, Divisional, District, Regional, and Local set-ups of Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan.

9.                  ‘Jama’at members’ means, if the matter is about the Central set-up, members from all over Pakistan; if the matter is about a set-up of a subordinate unit, it means members from that area.

10 a     ‘Organisational Province’ and ‘Province’ shall be considered as synonyms and shall mean the area that the President declares organisational province of the Jama’at.

10 b     ‘Organisational Division’ and ‘Division’ shall be considered as synonyms and shall mean the area that the President declares organisational division of the Jama’at.

11                ‘Organisational District’ and ‘District’ shall be considered as synonyms and shall mean the area that the President declares organisational district of the Jama’at.

12                ‘Local Unit’ means the unit of the Jama’at that is comprised of members of the Jama’at inhabiting the area, and that is under a Local President.

13                ‘Central Department for Organisational Affairs’ is that department that is functioning in the Centre of the Jama’at-e-Islami for the management of organisational issues.

14                ‘Central Department’ is that department which the President, the Working Committee or the Central Council declares as the central department. (Article 37)

15                ‘Departments for Organisational Affairs’ in the provinces, divisions, and districts mean Secretariats of the provinces, divisions, and districts, respectively.

16                ‘General Assembly’ means that session of the members of the Jama’at to which all members of the Jama’at or their appointed delegates are invited.