QUETTA, Feb 8: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged the dissidents in his party in Balochistan on Friday not to contest against the candidates nominated by him in the interest of the party’s unity.

In a telephonic address from Islamabad to candidates and senior members of the JUI-F, he urged the dissidents not to oppose the candidates contesting the election with symbol of ‘book’.

The Maulana was due in the provincial capital on a brief visit but missed the Quetta flight. Dissidents have formed a group called JUI-Ideological (JUI-I).

Maulana Fazl said differences between the provincial chapter of the party and dissidents was an internal matter which should be settled within the party and parallel organisations should not be set up in violation of the party discipline and the constitution.

Maulana Fazl warned that if the dissidents insisted on contesting against the official JUI-F candidates they would be rebelling against the party and this would not be tolerated.

“In my capacity as the central amir of the party I direct the dissidents to abide by the party decision,” Maulana Fazl said.

The dissident group turned down the directive and a statement issued on Friday night by Abdul Sattar Chishti on behalf of Maulana Asmatullah, Hafiz Fazal Muhammad Barach, Maulana Muhammad Hanif and Maulana Allah Dad said they respected Maulana Fazlur Rehman and recognised him as the central amir of the party, but they would not abandon their struggle against “opportunists led by Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani”.

The statement said that the differences were with the ‘opportunists’ in the province and not with Maulana Fazl, adding that the Ideological group would not withdraw its candidates.

The group said that the differences with the Sherani faction were not confined to the general elections but also concerned the way the party was being run. They wanted the party to be run in a democratic manner.

It added that contesting the polls was not a violation of the party discipline, but a jihad against ‘hypocrites and opportunists’ within the party.