September 22, 2007	Saturday	Ramazan 09, 1428

LAHORE, Sept 21: The future of the recently-formed opposition alliance, the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), is in doldrums as more and more PML-N leaders are expressing their reservations about the intentions of the religious components.

At an informal meeting held at the residence of PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq in Islamabad on Thursday, Mr Haq had expressed his doubts about the promises of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, president of the JUI-F, the largest constituent of the six-party religious grouping MMA, to resign en masse when Gen Musharraf would submit his candidature with the Election Commission to get himself re-elected as the President, a source said.

The APDM on Friday announced resignations on Sept 29 on the issue. Maulana Fazl, who is presently in Saudi Arabia, complains that he has not been consulted before the decision.

However, MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad and JUI-F former secretary-general Hafiz Hussain Ahmad belie his claim by saying that they had discussed the issue with Maulana Fazl over phone from the residence of MMA MNA Mian Aslam where the APDM meeting was held to take the decision.

The source said that the PML-N also has reservations about Jamaat-i-Islami.

The party leaders suspect that the Jamaat had some understanding with the powers-that-be when it filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging holding of two offices by Gen Musharraf, the source added.

They believe to the core of their hearts that the court ruling, likely to be announced next week, would not favour the opposition’s stance, the source said.

The “adulteration” of the Friday’s (Sept 21) protest call for condemning forced deportation of former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif by the Jamaat and the JUI-F has also disturbed the PML-N cadre, he said.

The Jamaat included in its plan a demonstration outside the apex court regarding its petition while the JUI-F added condemnation of Maulana Hasan Jan’s murder in the protest programme.

According to the source, earlier party’s as well as Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhaggra was the lone voice against the APDM - firstly because he was offered no office in the new grouping and secondly because he wanted to continue enjoying better relations with the PPP, which holds a good following in his constituency.

But now other leaders are also seconding his stance jeopardizing the APDM, which has not yet completed its structure even at provincial level, the source said.

He asserted that at least the JUI-F, in case its members did not resign along with other opposition parties, would be pushed out of the APDM if the alliance was not completely dissolved.