LAHORE, Nov 21: Differences cropped up between two main leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on the alliance's relationships with the government as its acting president Qazi Husain Ahmad rejected the offer for talks
made by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while, Secretary-General Maulana Fazlur Rahman said they would never refuse to enter into dialogues with anyone.
Both Qazi Husain Ahmed and Maulana Fazl had a two-hour meeting at Mansoora here on Sunday. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Qazi Husain said that implementation of accords reached earlier by the MMA and the government (on the uniform issue) must precede any future talks.
He also said that the government had not yet extended any formal invitation for talks. Maulana Fazl, however, said the alliance had never refused to hold talks provided they were 'meaningful' and 'fruitful'. He said that instead of complicating the situation efforts should be made (by both sides) to settle differences.
When Qazi Husain's attention was drawn to Maulana Fazl's stance, he said: "Meaningful and fruitful talks mean the government must implement earlier decisions." Responding to a question, he said if the government did not respond to the points raised in parliament and in talks they would have no option but to take their case to the masses.
Replying to a question, Maulana Fazl said he and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani would abide by the decision taken by the MMA supreme council on Nov 24 on the question of their attending the National Security Council (NSC) meeting.
They had not attended the first meeting of the NSC presided over by President Gen Pervez Musharraf. About coordination with the ARD on launching an anti-Musharraf campaign, both the MMA leaders said the basic points for coordination were yet to be worked out. They hoped that ARD leaders would soon get in touch with them.
Maulana Fazl, who had called on Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi earlier in the day, told a questioner that it was a goodwill meeting to inquire about the health of the latter. He denied that they had discussed politics during the meeting.
When he was informed that a handout issued by the provincial government stated that Maulana Fazl had given a positive response to the chief minister's request that the MMA should review its plan for launching a movement in the larger national interest, he said: "If they have said something positive, then he cannot respond to it on his own without consulting other leaders of the MMA and the ARD."
It is learnt that Maulana Fazl and Chaudhry Pervaiz went together to Raiwind for attending the Tableeghi Ijtima in an official helicopter. Earlier, speaking at an Eid Milan party organized by the Jamaat-i-Islami, Qazi Husain said it was the democratic right of the opposition to protest against the government's policies but if the MMA was not allowed to exercise this right it would take its struggle to the streets.
The MMA chief said they would invite the ARD and Imran Khan's Tehrik-i-Insaaf to join their struggle. The struggle, he said, would continue even if the government did not allow them to hold public meetings.
He assured the Jamaat workers that if they could gather about 100,000 people at the Minar-i-Pakistan, they would bring about a change in the national political scene. He accused Gen Pervez Musharraf of damaging all democratic institutions.
Answering a question about Maulana Fazlur Rahman's meeting with Prime Minister Aziz, he said it was a routine meeting in which the former made it clear that the alliance would not compromise on principles.
