June 26, 2003	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 25,1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 25: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Tuesday night finally decided not to appear as a party in the Supreme Court in the case challenging the qualification of its lawmakers.

It, however, agreed in principle with the proposal of the alliance of five top religious institutions of the country to chalk out their own respective strategy if they intended to defend themselves in the court, inside sources said.

The top leadership of MMA held a detailed meeting with the heads/representatives of five leading religious institutions of the country to discuss the situation arising out of the petition pending for hearing in the Supreme Court, which challenges the educational qualification of over 65 elected MPs.

Those who attended the meeting, presided over by Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, were Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Samiul Haq, Prof Sajid Mir, Allama Sajid Naqvi, Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

Those representing the religious schools at the meeting were Hafiz Mohammad Iqbal of Tanzeem Al-Madaris Pakistan, Mohammad Siddiq Hazarvi of Tanzeemal Madaris Ahle Sunnat, Maulana Abdul Malik of Rabitatul Madaris, Syed Hasan Raza Naqvi of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Shia, Mian Naeemur Rahman of Wafaqul Madaris Salfia and Wali Khan Al-Zafar of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia.

MMA’s secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rahman told reporters afterwards the Majlis had decided not to represent itself in the apex court, and instead go to the people’s court.

He said: “We do not expect justice from these courts and hence we will launch a mass mobilization campaign in collaboration with the religious institutions.”

He added: “We, along with the religious institutions, will go to the people’s court, since we do not expect justice from ‘these’ courts”.

The Maulana said the MMA and the conglomeration of five major religious institutions would soon announce public rallies and conventions in the country to counter the government’s move to discredit their degrees.

He said the Majlis had decided in its meeting that contacts with other opposition parties be enhanced, and a two-member committee comprising Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed will ensure maximum attendance of MMA MPs on the day its no-trust motion is put to voting in the lower house.

When his comments were sought on President Musharraf’s Camp David meeting with US President Bush, he said any package without F-16s was meaningless to Pakistan.

He said Camp David was a sacred place of Jews as they religiously believed that anyone going there would surrender to Israel, and it appears Gen Musharraf has committed to recognise Israel.

He cited the names of Egyptian president Anwar Sadaat and Palestinian president Yaser Arafat, who had visited the same venue, and had given Israel official recognition.

Another MMA leader, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, told reporters that the alliance of five major religious institutions, which were affiliated with one or other component parties of the MMA, had decided in principle to defend their degrees in the apex court.

The viewpoint of these religious institutions, he said, was very clear on the question of their qualification as they felt that the University Grants Commission had recognized their degrees equivalent to BA for all purposes except for government service, and their status as MP did not involve government service.

Earlier, Maulana Samiul Haq said that the “Ittehad Madaris-i-Deenia” (conglomeration of five leading religious institutions) have unanimously decided to become a party in the SC to defend their degrees, and the MMA will support them.