December 11, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 30, 1428

LAHORE, Dec 10: MMA President Qazi Husain Ahmad pledges not to allot election symbol of the alliance to nominees of any component ready to contest the polls as more and more constituents of the six-party religious grouping are rescinding their boycott decision.

“I, as the alliance president, have the authority to allot symbols to its candidates and not secretary-general Fazlur Rahman. I have not and will not allot the symbol to anyone,” a determined Qazi said when asked to comment on reports quoting Mr Rahman, the JUI-F chief, as saying that the latter would issue MMA tickets to those interested in taking part in the polls from its platform.

The decision is going to further deepen the rift between the Jamaat-i-Islami and JUI-F.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has allotted book as the election symbol to the MMA, ignoring protests by the PPP, the ANP and a couple of other parties which allege that like in the 2002 polls, the alliance will use the symbol to exploit religious emotions of the voters by declaring the book as the Holy Quran.

Of the six MMA components, the JUI-F is of the view from day one that it will not boycott the polls at any cost. There have been media reports that the party is forced to take part in the elections for the government is in possession of some material that, if exposed, may ruin the political career of Mr Rahman.

An official of the MMA claims that the JUI-F chief has got 8,000 kanals on a 99-year lease at a rate of Rs10 per kanal per year in Mianwali and it is one of the reasons that the JUI-F chief is being blackmailed by the government.

To overcome the obstacles being created by the Jamaat in the “pragmatic” political approach of the JUI-F, which believes that anti-establishment role in Pakistan is but impossible, the latter has been working on leaders of other alliance constituents.

Mr Rahman has assured the JUP-Noorani, which had won just one National Assembly seat in 2002 polls, at least six seats from Sindh only if it joins hand with the JUI-F in sidelining the Jamaat.

To make this plan work, a sectarian touch has also been added. An official of the JUP-Noorani quoted the JUI-F chief as informing Shah Anas Noorani, the son of late Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani and chief of the JUP, that unlike the Jamaat the other five MMA components - the JUI-F and JUI-S, the JUP, MJAH and Islami Tehrik of Sajid Naqvi — represent four sects. (Both factions of JUI have Deobandi school of thought, JUP Brelvi, MJAH Ahle Hadith and Islami Tehrik Shia school of thought).

If the five join hands, they can marginalize the “sectless” Jamaat in the political arena, the official further quoted him as saying.

The offer worked and the JUP announced taking part in the polls on Monday.

The MJAH, which has long been following the PML-N, thanks to the Saudi connections, has followed the suit. The former is also obliged for the latter had voted for its chief Prof Sajid Mir in the last Senate polls.

The Islami Tehrik, the Shia element in the MMA, sees it sensible to sail with the Deobandis. Both enjoy following in the NWFP and both sects have been clashing in the province, especially in its northern areas.