ISLAMABAD, March 16: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) supreme council meeting fixed for Wednesday was suddenly postponed and rescheduled for Saturday (March 20).

The MMA supreme council, which earlier met on March 7, had decided to launch countrywide mass contact rallies in April and May next, but did not fix dates and venues for these rallies.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the acting president of the MMA, who announced the change in the meeting's date, told reporters at parliament house lobby on Tuesday that the delay was on the request of Prof Sajid Mir who was not well.

He said that Maulana Samiul Haq, who abstained from the previous meeting, will also attend Saturday's meeting. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal supreme council, Qazi said, will discuss the overall political situation obtaining in the country.

The ongoing military operation in the tribal areas and other issues will also be deliberated in the meeting. However, the JUI-S sources said that there was no chance of Maulana Samiul Haq attending any future meeting of the MMA unless the grievances of his party were removed.

Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani (MNA), son of Maulana Samiul Haq, and Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, another JUI-S MNA, told newsmen that their differences with the MMA were based on principles and not on personal profit.

They alleged that the religious alliance had been hijacked by the two larger parties - JUI-F and JI - we want equal say if the alliance was to be kept intact."

The earlier Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal meeting had appointed a high-powered committee with Qazi Hussain Ahmed at the its head to meet Maulana Samiul Haq and try to remove his grievances. This committee has however been unable to hold any meeting with the Maulana so far.