LAHORE, March 12: A Jamaat-i-Islami’s central executive committee meeting concluded here on Tuesday with the decision to remove ‘misunderstandings’ with all political parties and desist from showing any reaction that could sour ties with them so that the government could not benefit from the rift among political forces.

“The one-day meeting decided that no issue regarding Jamaat’s differences with other parties would be touched before October polls so that the situation did not go from bad to worse and the government could not take advantage of disunity among political parties,” sources in the Jamaat said.

The Jamaat would extend an “olive branch” to all political forces and try to remove all misunderstandings with them, the sources said, adding even if the efforts did not bear fruit and the parties levelled allegations against the JI or showed harsh attitude towards it, no reaction would be shown to it just for the sake of the situation.

“The strategy is being adopted for the party leadership has reached the conclusion that even crippled democracy is better than dictatorship and that restoring democracy is the best way to save army (from deterioration),” they said.

The meeting also decided to hold the March 23 public meeting in Rawalpindi in a big way and invited Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leadership to address it, the sources said.

Though the party wanted to make the MMA an election alliance, it had kept the option open for making electoral adjustments with other parties too, they said.

Earlier speaking to the committee, amir Qazi Husain Ahmad said Jamaat’s future political course would be announced at the March 23 meeting after consulting various political and religious parties.

Criticizing the government for creating obstacles in the holding of political activities even in the election year, he said it had failed in achieving any target set in its seven-point agenda and lost its ‘popularity’ among the masses.

Saying the government wanted to promote the traditional political leadership, he said Jamaat workers would play their active role in changing the situation.