Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani (

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

/) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...

religious cleric and politician who established Rabita Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam the breakway faction of

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan also known the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam or simply as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (; ; JUI (F)) is an Islamic fundamentalist political party in Pakistan. Established as the ''Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam'' in 1945, it is th ...

over rifts with (JUI-F) leader Fazal-ur-Rehman. He had been a member of the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...

, between 1988 and May 2018. He was the Chairman of the influential

Council of Islamic Ideology Council of Islamic Ideology (CII; () is a constitutional body of Pakistan, responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government and the Parliament. This body was founded in 1962 under the government of Ayub Khan. Functions ...

from 2010 to 2016.

Early life and education

He was born in 1948/1951 into a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

family of the Shirani tribe in

Zhob Zhob (; ), formerly known as Fort Sandeman is a city and district headquarters of the Zhob District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Zhob is located on the banks of the Zhob river. It lies 337 kilometres away from Quetta, the capital ...

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

. His father Malik Masoom Khan was one of the

sardars Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been used to denote a chief ...

or leaders of the tribe who also used to deliver

sermons A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. E ...

at the local

Jama Masjid A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

, and following his father's wishes, after completing his early education he studied in many Islamic seminaries, including Madrasa Matta al Ulum, the Madrasa of Maulana Abdur Rahim, the Madrasa Darul Ulum

Lakki Marwat Lakki Marwat or Lakki (Urdu and ) is the headquarters of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Lakki Marwat has become List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, one of the fastest growing cities in Khyber P ...

, the Madrasa Waqia Nar of Malik Mahabat, the Madrasa Siraj ul Uloom

Bannu Bannu (, ), also called Bani Gul or Bani (, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tribe and speak Banuch ...

and the Madrasa Qasim ul Uloom. In 1961 he was involved in a tribal feud. His early political and religious influences were Mufti Mehmood and Maulana Abdullah Darkhawasti.

Political career

He was active in the Khatme Nabuwwat movement against the

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...

under

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

and was later jailed under General

Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

's martial law. He has served as the Former District Nazim Zhob District. He was elected to the

as a candidate of

Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan also known the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam or simply as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (; ; JUI (F)) is an Islamic fundamentalist political party in Pakistan. Established as the ''Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam'' in 1945, it is th ...

(JUI-F) from Constituency NA-200

in the

1988 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 16 November 1988 to elect the members of the National Assembly and Senate. The elections saw the resurgence of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter, Ben ...

. He received 13,307 votes and defeated Maulvi Allah Dad, a candidate of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (D). He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of JUI-F from Constituency NA-200

in the

1990 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 24 October 1990 to elect the members of the National Assembly. The elections were primarily a contest between the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA, a four party alliance led by the ruling Pakistan Pe ...

. He received 15,965 votes and defeated

Nawab Muhammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai (, ; born 28 January 1959) is a Pakistani politician from Northern Balochistan and is serving as the Pashtun ''Nawab''. He became Nawab after the death of ''Nawab'' Taimoor Shah Khan Jogezai. While he was still alive, ...

, a candidate of the

Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (; ), abbreviated as PMAP or PKMAP, is a political party in Pakistan's Balochistan province. It was founded by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who was elected as the chairman, and Sher Ali Bacha, who served as the General ...

(PKMAP). He ran for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of IJM from Constituency NA-200

in the

1993 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 6 October 1993 to elect the members of National Assembly. The elections took place after both the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan resigned to resolve a power struggle. Prio ...

but was unsuccessful. He received 15,260 votes and lost the seat to Nawab Muhammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai, a candidate of the PKMAP. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of JUI-F from Constituency NA-200 (Zhob) in the

1997 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 3 February 1997 to elect the members of National Assembly. The elections were a fierce contest between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by pre-election Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Mus ...

. He received 14,679 votes and defeated Nawab Muhammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai, a candidate of the PKMAP. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal The Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA; Urdu: , ) is a political alliance consisting of conservative, Islamist, Religion in Pakistan, religious, and right-wing parties of Pakistan. Naeem Siddiqui (the founder of Tehreek e Islami) proposed such a ...

(MMA) from Constituency NA-264 (Zhob-cum-Killa Saifullah) in the

2002 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies. The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf. The two mainstream parties, Pakistan ...

. He received 20,381 votes and defeated Nawab Muhammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai, a candidate of the PKMAP. He ran for the seat of the National Assembly as a candidate of MMA from Constituency NA-264 (Zhob-cum-Sherani-cum-Killa Saifullah) in the

2008 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 18 February 2008 to elect members of the 13th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. On 3 November 2007 President Pervez Musharraf enacted a state of emergency; elections were initia ...

but was unsuccessful. He received 17,066 votes and lost the seat to Maulvi Asmatullah, an independent candidate. He was elected to the

Senate of Pakistan The Senate of Pakistan, Constitution of Pakistan, constitutionally the House of the Federation, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. As of 2023, It has a maximum membership of 96, of which 92 are elected by the Member of th ...

and was made chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology with the status of federal minister in 2010 for three years. He was again made chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology in 2013. He has served as Federal Minister for Religious Affairs. He was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of JUI-F from Constituency NA-264 (Zhob-cum-Sherani-cum-Killa Saifullah) in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

. He received 30,870 votes and defeated Moulana Asmatullah, a candidate of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Nazryati.

Alliance with Imran Khan's PTI

On 13 June 2022, Sherani met with

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

and declared an alliance with his party, the

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

. Sherani also took to

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

and said that when he asked Fazl ur-Rehman does he have proof that

is a Jewish and Indian agent, Fazl responded with "it's just a political statement".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Khan Sherani Deobandis Living people Pashtun politicians Pakistani MNAs 2013–2018 People from Zhob District Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) politicians Pakistani MNAs 2002–2007 Pakistani MNAs 1988–1990 Pakistani MNAs 1990–1993 Pakistani MNAs 1997–1999 1938 births

Early life and education

Political career

Alliance with Imran Khan's PTI

See also

References