PESHAWAR:
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) rift over the restoration of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is going to take a new turn, as the former is now trying to forge a new alliance of six religious parties, it is learnt.
MMA, an alliance of religious parties with representation of the Shia, Sunni-deobandi, Sunni-barelvi, and the Ahle Hadith sects had contested the 2002 polls and formed government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, the group split after JI and some other MMA members decided to boycott the 2008 elections.
With the election season drawing closer, the religious parties have once again stepped up efforts to forge an electoral alliance.
A senior JI leader, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the JI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Sami (JUI-S), JUI-Ideological, Ahle Sunnah Wal Jammat (ASWJ), Jamiat Ahl Hadith (Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer faction) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP Sawad-e-Azam) were likely to join hands for the upcoming elections.
He said that these parties have decided in principle to cooperate with each other for the next general elections.
“A meeting of the leaders of these parties took place at the residence of JI senior leader Liaquat Baloch in October, where this alliance was discussed,” he said.
He said that it was not yet clear whether these parties will go for an electoral alliance or contest polls under their own flags.
He said it was likely that the alliance would be discussed at the sidelines of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) leaders meeting to be held in Islamabad on November 12.
Interestingly, all these parties are also part of DPC, a conglomerate of about 36 religious political parties, banned and jihadi outfits.
The leaders of the parties likely to form an alliance were also in attendance at a religious clerics convention organised by JI on November 3 in Peshawar. JI chief Munawwar Hassan and other prominent leaders castigated JUI-F on that occasion for what they called “weakening the religious forces”.
The JI official said that besides forging this alliance, JI was also in contact with other parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over electoral adjustment. He said that the alliance’s agenda will be mostly anti-American. He said that there was very little chance of JI attending the MMA meeting, in which JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan has been invited.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s statements have muddied the water and in such a situation it was unlikely for JI to sit with JUI-F,” he said.
The general secretary of the JI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter Shabbir Ahmed Khan told The Express Tribune that his party was trying to forge a broad-based alliance with religious parties and other political forces of the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2012.
COMMENTS (8)
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Liberals! You guys won't even vote as some said here, is that true you guys are just talk and not action?
I believe IK must form an alliance with the Religious Parties/Groups. Its very important because, there`s a significant vote base for these Parties. Most of Liberals commenting here (either Pro or Anti Imran) wont even vote when the elections come.
Now that banned JI has formed alliance with banned organizations, it would be almost impossible for Imran to form alliance with JI
All banned sectarian and Jihadi out fits are joining their forces. They are the real enemies of Pakistan. Its time for People of Pakistan to reject these elements in elections and send a clear message to these criminals"We don want you",
Our (so-called) religious parties do not need any opponents, since they are self sufficient against each other.
The forces of darkness join hands! These people with stone age mentality and regressive ideas who are against education and democracy have and will always be rejected by people in free and fair elections.
PTI and IK are a natural fit for this alliance as they have been working closely for a few years. The rightwing parties always formed a broad alliance against PPP and this time they would do the same. No surprise here.