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| October 16, 2002 | Wednesday | Sha’aban 9, 1423 |
MMA sees national govt in the making
ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The general secretary of Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal and chief of his own faction of JUI, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, has hinted at the possibility of a national government.
Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, Mau-lana Fazl said, in our talks with other political parties, both options — a coalition of like-minded parties and a government of national consensus — were discussed.
He also said: “The focus of our discussion was to reach a consensus on foreign policy. A decision on any cooperation with any party will be taken by the alliance on Wednesday.”
FAZL SAID: “Our commitment for the Islamization of society is not more than what the constitution provides for; we are only demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology.”
He contradicted what he termed heinous propaganda unleashed by the western media about the religio-political parties’ position, specially the JUI, regarding the Taliban, and said: “In our view, Pakistan and Afghanistan were poles apart in polity and the system of governance.
To a query, the MMA leader said: “We want a foreign policy which guarantees sovereignty and independence.”
When his attention was drawn to the slump in the stock exchanges being attributed to the MMA’s success in the elections, he said: “It was because of the propaganda about our economic policies.” In fact, he added: “We want business and trade to flourish and the traders to get maximum facilities, including reshaping of the taxation system.
Without giving a clear response to a question whether the MMA would like the US troops to leave Pakistan, he said, the American presence on our soil was a negation of our sovereignty.
He asked the US to review its policy in the region, specially in view of the recent changes in Pakistan, so that best relations could be maintained between the two countries.
He said that the MMA’s first priority would be law and order and to demonstrate to the world that we can run the affairs of the state as servants, not rulers.
Responding to a question whether he was pushing the MMA to enter into an alliance with the PPP, Fazl said: “We will follow our own policy.”
About the MMA accepting Gen Musharraf as president, the JUI leader said: “We are against the supremacy of army over a civilian government, and we want to promote a healthy democratic culture in which there is no role for the army.”
On the Kashmir policy, he said: “We have laid down in our basic charter that the solution of Kashmir issue will be sought in accordance with the UN resolutions, and we are committed to it.”
He said that the MMA would like all decisions of national importance, including amendments to the constitution, to be referred to parliament.
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