ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal will decide whether or not to quit the Balochistan government when its supreme council meets in Islamabad on Thursday (September 5).

According to sources in the alliance, the group “is under tremendous pressure” from other opposition parties, especially the ARD and PONAM, to quit Balochistan government in protest against the government’s policy of chasing and killing its opponents.

The alliance is also expected to discuss the pace of its anti-government campaign in the light of the public rallies on Sept 6 in Rawalpindi, Sept 10 in Lahore and Sept 17 in Quetta will also discuss its future interaction with the combined opposition.

MNA Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani and Balochistan MMA chief, who is seen as the biggest supporter of Musharraf government policies, has been assigned by the MMA to assess the ground situation in the province and report back to the supreme council before it discussed its political options.

The sources claimed that there were serious differences of opinion in the JUI-F, which is the junior partner of the ruling PML, on the issue of quitting the provincial government.

MMA’s deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch said: “The alliance has empowered its provincial chapter to decide whether its representatives should continue to remain part of the Balochistan government or to quit it.”