September 25, 2003	Thursday	Rajab 27, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Sept 24: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal launched efforts on Tuesday night to remove differences with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami group) hours after the group announced it was dissociating itself from the alliance.

NWFP Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Zafar Azam met provincial JUI-S chief Qazi Abdul Latif to redress grievances of the alienated party.

Frontier Assembly Deputy Speaker Ikramullah Shahid, who belongs to the JUI-S, told Dawn on Wednesday that his party would not withdraw its decision unless the MMA leadership met their demands.

“We have explained our position to the minister and told him that the party would not back out from its principled stand,” Mr Shahid said.

He said the minister was advised that the MMA leadership should remove the grievances of parliamentarians affiliated with the JUI-S.

However, the minister claimed that the JUI-S had postponed its provincial Shura meeting on Oct 5 which had been previously called to endorse the decision. He said his meeting with Qazi Latif was successful.

The JUI-S had called the Shura meeting to endorse the decision of the provincial executive council. “We are trying to restore confidence of our friends and to meet their genuine demands,” he said.

The minister said the JUI-S leaders had agreed to present their case before the MMA’s provincial council instead of discussing dissociation at the Shura. The MMA, he said, would meet in Peshawar on Oct 5.

The JUI-S blames Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), major components of the MMA, for ignoring smaller parties in development schemes.