PESHAWAR, Nov 28: When the central shura of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) meets next week in Islamabad, it will discuss whether to stay with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal or chart its own course in the face of mounting pressure from allies to quit parliament, a senior party leader said.

"This is going to be a very important meeting," the party leader, who is also a member of the shura, told Dawn, requesting anonymity.

The two-day meeting of the 60-member shura will begin on December 4, two days ahead of a crucial session of the MMA’s parliamentary party which will take a decision on the issue of resignation.

The hardline chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, has said that the decision to quit the parliament is final and non-negotiable.

But his more moderate senior partner in the six-party religious alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, told a news conference in his native Dera Ismail Khan that there were ‘other options’, besides resignation.

The JUI (F) source said there was a near-unanimous view within the party against quitting the National Assembly over the issue of the women’s rights bill.

"Almost all members are against resignation," he said. "Our central shura is an important forum. It embodies the 16-member executive council and its decisions are binding."

He said the members were of the view that it was better to resist the government from within and without, rather than leave an important forum like parliament to raise and agitate issues.

"It's easy to resign but difficult to get re-elected. The path chosen by some of our allies is suicidal," he said.