PESHAWAR, April 4: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) is heading for a standoff between its two major components - the JUI-F and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) — over the issue of whether to attend National Security Council (NSC) meetings. While the JI remains unyielding on the issue, the JUI-F is exerting pressure on the MMA to allow leader of the opposition Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani to attend the NSC.

Provincial Secretary General of JI Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is strongly opposed to participation of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Akram Khan Durrani in the next meeting of the National Security Council.

Speaking at a function in Swabi on Monday, he termed the NSC a self-created and unconstitutional body and said that the participation of the opposition leader in its meeting was out of question, said a press release here.

He said that the masses had appreciated the MMA’s boycott of the NSC.

He demanded President Gen Pervez Musharraf to shed his military uniform.

On the other hand, MMA’s general secretary Senator Gul Naseeb Khan stressed that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mr Durrani should attend the next meeting of the NSC.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, Mr Naseeb said that the JUI-F would convince other component parties of the MMA

to allow the opposition lea-

der and the NWFP chief minister to attend the council meeting.

“JUI-F believes that the MMA supreme council should review its decision and allow Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Akram Durrani to attend the NSC meeting,” he said.

He said that the NWFP was suffering due to the absence of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Akram Durrani from the NSC meeting.

The MMA supreme council will meet in Islamabad on April 6 to discuss the issue. The JUI-F provincial executive council has also asked the alliance supreme council to allow the opposition leader to attend the NSC meeting.

Senator Gul Naseeb condemned the Punjab police action against MMA workers in Gujranwala in which several people had been wounded, including a member of the National Assembly.

He demanded of the Punjab government to suspend the district government and hold an inquiry into the matter.

He said that the MMA would not allow anyone to promote immorality and western culture in the society.