August 27, 2008	Wednesday	Sha'aban 24, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has demanded of the PPP-led coalition government to revive Friday as weekly holiday, sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

The Friday was declared as weekly holiday as part of compromise by the founder of PPP Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to appease the religious dominated PNA movement of 1977 which was reversed to Sunday by the Nawaz Sharif government.

The sources said that the JUI-F, which had already indicated its support to Mr Zardari’s candidature for the presidency, had sent a wish list to the Zardari house for acceptance preferably before the presidential elections on September 6.

The wish list also demanded an immediate stoppage of the ongoing military operation in the tribal areas and most importantly to redeem the promises Mr Zardari has made with the JUI-F leaders on various occasions.

The party leadership has expressed serious doubts about the promises that Mr Zardari has so far made after he went back from two written accords with PML-N, the sources said.

The JUI-F, the sources said, had been assured by the PPP two more ministries as per the power sharing formula already set.

The sources said that the party had already decided to allot one ministry to Maulana Attaur Rehman, the younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while there was a tie between Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri and Maulana Naseeb Gul on the other.

Meanwhile, the party has convened its central working committee meeting here on Wednesday to discuss and finalize its strategy to support Mr Zardari for the office of president.