January 22, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 18, 1423

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LAHORE, Jan 21: Differences have surfaced in the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal over distribution of Senate tickets and clandestine deals of some constituents with the government.

Though the MMA leadership is denying differences among the components, the fact is evident from Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith president Prof Sajid Mir’s refusal to accept alliance ticket for the Senate. Moreover, absence of leaders of component parties other than the Jamaat-i-Islami in the campaign for Lahore bypolls speaks volumes of “cohesion” among the MMA ranks.

Smaller constituents, like the Tehrik-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ahle Hadith, are feeling themselves alienated in the alliance as they complain that they are not being given due share in Senate tickets.

They say that the two larger components — the JUI-F and the Jamaat-i-Islami — have kept all but one Senate ticket from the NWFP and Balochistan.

In the NWFP, the JUI-F got six Senate tickets and the Jamaat-i-Islami five. The JUI-S was allocated one ticket.

As only the JUI-F-backed candidates had won the Balochistan Assembly polls, the party had refused to accommodate nominees of any other constituent for the Senate from the province.

The MMA has put up Tehrik-i-Islami’s Allama Sajid Naqvi for the Senate from the Punjab. But, sources say he is annoyed with the leadership for not being offered any safe seat from the NWFP or Balochistan. He is likely to quit the MMA in case he could not make to the Senate, the sources fear. The Allama is finding it difficult to placate his workers as the party will, for the first time, have no representation in parliament.