September 5, 2003	Friday	Rajab 7, 1424

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QUETTA, Sept 4: Five parties of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal have boycotted the proceedings of the provincial Shariat council and disowned decisions taken by it so far after differences emerged in the alliance over representation in it.

In a letter addressed to Balochistan MMA President Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, provincial leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami), the Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadis and the Islami Tehrik protested over not being given representation in the council.

In the letter, issued on Wednesday, Maulana Abdul Haq of the Jamaat, Mufti Ghulam Mohammad Qadri of the JUP, Maulana Abdul Rahim Jogezai of the JUI-S, Maulana Ali Mohammad Turab of the JAH and Alama Yaqoob Ali Tawasali of the Islami Tehrik said they would boycott the council’s meetings.

“We are not ready to remain silent on the JUI-F’s discriminatory attitude,” they said and added that it was ignoring its partners in the alliance in decision making.

They said their parties had rejected the formation of the council when the notification in this regard was issued by the provincial government as senior ulema and leaders ahad been ignored.

When a delegation met Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay and informed him about the resentment of these parties, he had promised to include their representatives in the council but no step had been taken in this connection, they said.

They said the attitude of the JUI-F was discriminatory.

“The JUI-F ignored the leadership of five MMA parties in Balochistan in distribution of development funds and decision making,” they said.

They said their parties had decided to contact the masses over the issues for ensuring enforcement of Shariat in a transparent way.

They said the issues would be discussed with MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

They said they had no doubt about the sincerity and honesty of the council’s chairman and its members but they doubted the government’s efforts in this regard.