July 15, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 4, 1423

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ISLAMABAD July 14: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), a coalition of six religio-political parties, is scheduled to hold a crucial meeting of its component party heads here on Monday.

It will take a unified line on what it terms controversial electoral reforms and constitutional package, and also device a unified strategy for the forthcoming polls.

MMA President Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani will preside over the meeting and all the party heads, except JUI chief and bloc’s Secretary-General Maulana Fazlur Rahman who is abroad, will attend it. JUI deputy chief Hafiz Hussain Ahmed will represent Mr Rehman.

It will be the first time for Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani to attend and preside over the party heads meeting after a couple of months during which he was abroad.

The MMA, according to inside sources, is faced with the same dilemma which almost all other political parties are facing in the wake of confirmation of graduation as qualification for both becoming member of an assembly as well as an office-bearer of the party.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, also acting secretary-general of the MMA, told Dawn soon after his arrival at Islamabad Airport from Quetta that although the alliance had completed its central and provincial level elections with process under way for district-level bodies, the matter would still be deliberated in the meeting as to whether the bloc could contest polls, according to the new law, under a single electoral symbol or not.

“The coalition was fully united to face all challenges as it has a unified stand against the unconstitutional actions of the military rulers” he claimed.

He said:”We will certainly apply for single symbol as we are determined to contest the forthcoming polls from the unified platform”.

The MMA component parties have also kept the option open for going into the electoral process as individual parties by making seat adjustments with each other.

Hafiz Hussain said:”We will be discussing the constitutional package, electoral reforms, alliance’s election committee report, coordination and legal advisory committees’ reports working under Liaqat Baloch and Syed Munawar Hasan.”