The revival of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) will bring additional flavour to the politics of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Two parties, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), no longer included in the alliance, will be poised against each for electoral gains.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) announced this past Thursday that the MMA will be revived without the JI and JUI-S after months-long deliberations failed. They only resulted in bickering and a war of words with no immediate prospects for reconciliation.
While the MMA will have a minimal impact on national politics, the JI and JUI-S, along with other religious parties, consider K-P as their stronghold.
The electoral struggle has been further intensified with the growing popularity of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which is determined to get a share of the pie, including the conservative voters.
The JUI-F has strategised its campaign for the upcoming general elections by inducting electable candidates into party ranks. Just last month, two serving members of the K-P Assembly, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Munawar Khan from Lakki Marwat, and Pakistan Peoples Party-Sherpao’s (PPP-S) Atiqur Rehman, joined the JUI-F. PTI’s Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti from Mardan also joined the JUI-F, making it the largest party in K-P’s southern districts.
In the 2008 elections, the JUI-F won only one out of the 36 provincial assembly seats from central K-P. It contested elections from Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Nowshera and Swabi. Six of its candidates lost with a small margin, while the majority of its candidates came third. The Awami National Party and the PPP won the polls.
Fazl’s party suffered miserably in Malakand, Upper and Lower Dir, with no lawmakers winning in 2008. It performed well in the southern districts, including Chitral and Hazara.
Dir is considered a JI stronghold and JI’s boycott of the elections kept most voters at home. This came to the advantage of the PPP, who swept these districts. The JUI-F also filled in the vacuum, capturing much of the religious vote bank — originally the JI’s share.
The upcoming elections will be tough for the religious parties. In addition to the PTI, the PML-N has also made gains following the induction of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) former provincial president Amir Muqam.
An influential figure in Malakand, Muqam’s induction will definitely have some benefits. He is also the party’s first senior leader from the Pashto speaking part of the province. Traditionally, the PML-N has been popular in the Hindko-speaking Hazara division.
Sources say that the JUI-F and the PML-N may strike a compromise to accommodate an electoral adjustment of some sort. Given the rivalry, this does not seem to be farfetched. It creates the possibility of the PTI and JI closing in on their differences to patch a framework for an alliance to counter the JUI-F.
Fazl and his comrades may have sensed this, considering their new-born criticism of the PTI. JUI-F activists think that the warring words against Khan are an attempt to discredit him before any alliance with the JI could be struck. A PTI-JI coalition can be a game changer and a hindrance in MMA’s electoral prospects.
The JI has already begun tackling the JUI-F by awarding a party ticket to its provincial chief, professor Ibrahim Khan, to contest from Bannu (NA-26). Currently, this constituency belongs to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
On the other hand, JUI-S and JI leaders accuse the JUI-F of forging a single member Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Seniors (JUI-S), which is part of the revived MMA.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2012.
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jui is gaining power again in KP and pti challenging it in southern dist JUI strong hold, it is said that they will join hand to PML N and sherpao QWP in this way JUI may be in contesting position in swat hazara charsadda and peshawar too but there is differences among their own ranks on Party ticket too and those heavy weight who join JUI will demand party ticket in upcoming election.
Time has changed and sentiments have changed. Last time MMA got vote due to anti-American sentiment and attack on Afghanistan when wounds were fresh. Without JI, it will further weaken this group. PTI has made a big progress in KPK including Hazara division. MMA is no more in trend now. For now bye bye MMA
I clearly see JI further diminishing from the electoral politics.
KP belongs to PTI. PTI can strike a deal with JI b/c in Malakand division particularly in Dir (upper and lower) and Buner districts, JI vote-bank is remarkable.