KARACHI, Jan 7: Amid speculation of political realignments, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has claimed that the six-party alliance of religious parties – the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal – would undergo a “surgical change” and would break up prior to the general elections.

Mr Rashid, who is known for his hawkish stance towards the opponents of the military-led government, said this while addressing a news conference on Sunday, during which he unveiled Pakistan Railways’ plans for the launch of the Jinnah Express train.

Mr Rashid was of the view that the real opposition in the country was the Pakistan People’s Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, both of whom had shown their interest in taking part in the next elections under the supervision of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

His claim gave a new spin to the already complicated political situation as the PPP chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, has admitted to the existence of back-channel contacts with the government and her readiness to contest the upcoming elections. Similar statements have been made by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Mr Rashid also claimed that the polls would be very important vis-à-vis the political history of the country. When he was reminded that the opposition had said they would resign from the assembly if the president was re-elected, he replied by saying that the next two to three months would be crucial in which “significant decisions” were expected.

The minister said the “issue of degrees” of MMA legislators might be decided by the superior judiciary while the issue of “dual nationality” would also be resolved. He declared that the “dialogue process” with the PPP had not broken down so far but it would be premature to say about its final outcome.

He admitted that the PPP didn’t “trust us (the government) and we also do not trust them.” The minister claimed that Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and chief of the PML-N, would not return to the country and if he did, he would be sent back to Saudi Arabia.

He pointed out that there was no hurdle in the way of Benazir Bhutto’s return to the country, but she had to face the cases pending in the courts.

Mr Rashid hinted that the present assemblies would re-elect President Gen Pervez Musharraf and the “real opposition” would take part in the next general elections, though a “trust deficit” still existed between the government and the PPP.