ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) believes that the Supreme Court’s recent decision on seminary sanad will not affect its parliamentarians and that the government will ensure that they are not disturbed at least until the completion of the current parliament’s term.

A senior MMA leader told Dawn on Friday that if the government decided to get the alliance’s MPs disqualified it would endanger the validity of the 17th amendment that was passed with the support of these MPs and “thus the legitimacy of the whole system will come under threat”.

It is learnt that the government is divided over the issue of taking on the religious alliance because of its tough stance on the National Security Council.

One group in the government, sources said, wanted to punish the MMA for its non-cooperation but another group was opposed to such a move. The latter, which is more influential, is of the opinion that a tough action will open a Pandora’s box and may draw a sharp reaction from the religious right.

When contacted, deputy parliamentary leader of the MMA in the National Assembly Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said. “The government is well aware of the negative effects disqualification of our MPs would cause as they (treasury) have already sat with us for three years.”

He said he didn’t see any reason for the government to challenge the validity of councillors and nazims elected on the basis of seminary sanads.

About the apex court’s decision, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said the MMA did not feel it was bound by any verdict of the Supreme Court till the chief justice and other judges took a fresh oath under the 1973 Constitution.

He said the MMA would chalk out its strategy when the detailed verdict was released by the Supreme Court.

Answering a question about the local council elections, he alleged that every political party, including those in the ruling coalition, had rigged these polls to their optimum capacity.

He did not rule out a joint line of action by the MMA and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy on the local body elections. He expressed surprise over more than 24 hours’ delay in the announcement of unofficial results of union councils as against the national and provincial assemblies’ results that had come out within 24 hours of polling.