INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN PARTY POLITICS: INTERNET AND THE JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI OF PAKISTAN BY SAJJAD HUSSAIN DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR (JANUARY 2019) INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN PARTY POLITICS: INTERNET AND THE JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI OF PAKISTAN Thesis submitted to the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Award of the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR (JANUARY 2019) In memory of my uncle, “Baba” Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENT................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE THESIS ........................................................................ 1 1.1 Internet and politics ..................................................................................... 7 1.1.1 Disintermediation:..................................................................................... 7 1.1.2 Internet and the level playing field argument ........................................... 8 1.1.3 Normalization of cyberspace and fringe political concerns .................... 10 1.2 The decentralized communication over internet and the changing patterns of political participation ................................................................................... 13 1.3 Internet and social media statistics of Pakistan ......................................... 16 1.4 Jama‟at-e-Islami of Pakistan and the internet question ............................. 17 1.5 Significance of the study ........................................................................... 26 1.6 Objectives of the research .......................................................................... 27 1.7 Structure of the study ................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER-2 ............................................................................................................... 32 NEW INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND POLITICAL PARTIES: A THEORETICAL DEBATE ....................................... 32 2.1 Parties and the changing nature of party membership in the age of new ICTs.................................................................................................................. 43 2.2 New ICTs and its impact on the Intra-organizational aspects of parties ... 46 2.2.1 Internet as a source of extending organizational influence ..................... 47 2.2.2 Enhancing engagement of the supporters/members ............................... 52 2.2.3 Internet and the erosion of institutional hierarchies ................................ 53 2.3 Party models and their corresponding communication channels .............. 55 2.4 New ICTs and Party Strategies .................................................................. 58 2.5 Methodology .............................................................................................. 62 2.5.1Comparative Manifesto Project and analyzing the JI‟s online message .. 67 2.5.2 Data Analysis and Method of Interpretation ........................................... 71 2.6 Limitations of the study ............................................................................ 73 CHAPTER-3 ............................................................................................................... 75 A SELECTED HISTORY OF THE JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI: IDEOLOGY AND TRANSFORMATIONS ............................................................................................ 75 3.1 About the founder of the JI ........................................................................ 76 3.2 Ideology of Mawdudi and the JI ............................................................... 79 3.3 Establishment of Jama‟at-e-Islami ............................................................ 83 i 3.4 Mawdudi and the Pakistan‟s Movement .................................................. 84 3.5 Jama‟at-e-Islami and the creation of Pakistan .......................................... 86 3.6 Struggle for Islamic State in Pakistan ........................................................ 87 3.7 The JI‟s entry into electoral politics: Ideology and Pragmatism ............... 88 3.8 The ascendency of Mian Muhammad Tufayl ............................................ 94 3.9 Ascendency of Qazi Hussain Ahmad to the office of the amir ................. 95 3.10 Diagnosing the problem and the strategy for its solution ........................ 97 3.10.1 Education .............................................................................................. 97 3.10.2 Social Reform ....................................................................................... 98 3.10.3 Jihad or All Out Struggle ...................................................................... 98 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................. 102 ONLINE MESSAGE OF THE JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI ........................................ 102 4.1 The predominant ethos of internet and the JI .......................................... 102 4.2 What message the JI markets the most online? ....................................... 105 4.3 Contents analysis of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan [Official] – Central Facebook Account of the JI ........................................................................... 106 4.4 Contents analysis of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan [@JIPOfficial] – Central Twitter Account of the JI ......................................................................... 109 4.5 Three important issues in the message of the JI on digital social networks (Facebook and Twitter) ........................................................................... 111 4.5.1 Discussion ............................................................................................. 112 4.6 Composition and analysis of the message on online social networking platforms .................................................................................................. 113 4.7 The JI and challenges in online opinion formation and mobilization/winning new ideological support ....................................... 119 4.8 Blogs, their potential for impacting public opinion and the JI‟s message ..... ................................................................................................................. 124 4.9 Website of the JI, the message and its outreach ...................................... 127 4.10 Message on website of the JI and its analysis ........................................ 132 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 137 CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................. 140 STRATEGIC PARTICIPATION BY JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI AND PARTICIPATION VIA INTERNET ..................................................................... 140 5.1 Political Participation and internet .......................................................... 140 5.2 Internet and the modification of resources for participation ................... 144 5.3 The JI and the strategic participation opportunities ................................. 145 5.4 Towards a changed praxis too? ............................................................... 146 5.5 Political Participation, Jama‟at-e-Islami and the internet ........................ 148 ii 5.6 Internet and the elites of the JI amidst the digital citizens ....................... 153 5.7 The Digital Citizens‟ Participation and the JI‟s Website ........................ 156 5.8 Participation opportunities through Social Network Platforms on internet by the JI .......................................................................................................... 159 5.9 The associates of the JI and struggle for online participation ................. 160 5.10 Ahbab Discourse Forum (ADF) on Facebook ....................................... 161 5.11 Ahbab Discourse Forum‟s influence on policy decisions of the JI ....... 163 5.12. Institutionalizing new indirect forms of strategic participation: the case of JI Youth .......................................................................................................... 167 Conclusion: .................................................................................................... 169 CHAPTER-6 ............................................................................................................. 171 ONLINE STRATEGY OF THE JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE JAMA’AT-E-ISLAMI’S TRAJECTORY/DIRECTION ... 171 6.1 Parties and the role of direct communication channels ........................... 172 6.2 Parties and their membership in the age of new ICTs ............................. 177 6.3 What guide the online strategies of parties? ............................................ 179 6.4 Online Strategy of the JI .......................................................................... 183 6.4.1 Predominant contents of the message ..................................................