LAHORE, Sept 1: Differences among Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal constituents are deepening as three of six members of the religious parties alliance were not present at the press conference held by its provincial leadership here on Sunday.

The press briefing was convened to inform reporters about the decisions taken about the issuance of tickets and deny reports about differences in the MMA.

Sources say that electoral adjustments with the other parties irrespective of their ideologies, distribution of tickets among components and meetings of some leaders with high government officials are a bone of contention among the alliance’s leadership.

They say that the Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith, a long time ally of the PML-N, is annoyed with the decision of making electoral adjustments with the other parties —- pro- or anti-government —- at district level.

The party, led by Prof Sajid Mir, wants adjustments at provincial level and that too with the PML-N. It fears that the step might damage the PML-N which, it thinks, shares common ideas with the MMA more than the other parties in the Punjab.

But on record the party says that the measure will tarnish the image of the religious parties.

The MJAH is also opposed to clandestine meetings of some Jamaat-i-Islami and JUP leaders with the Punjab governor, the chief secretary and other government officials.

The annoyed MJAH is also planning to contest the October polls from the PML-N platform. A final decision in this regard is expected before the second phase of MMA’s train march scheduled for Sept 7.

The sources say that the PML-N has surrendered 50 National Assembly seats for the MMA in the Punjab. Of them, the Jamaat has claimed over 25 seats, including three in Lahore. The rest of 25 seats have been left for five other constituents.

The local officials of the JUP, led by Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani, are feeling hurt over the decision as their provincial chief is also aspiring to contest the elections from a Lahore constituency. But the Jamaat has refused to accommodate him. The issue is likely to be put before the MMA chief and party president Maulana Noorani.

The JUI-S, led by Maulana Samiul Haq, is also perturbed over the distribution of tickets. The JUI-F) and the Jamaat have shared all the NA constituencies in the NWFP leaving only three for the JUI-S, its officials say bitterly, adding in Balochistan, they have been allotted nothing but one PA seat.

Maulana Samiul Haq is ‘overlooking’ the issue and urging his angry workers to be patient, though he feels that the two parties have not dealt him fairly, they say.

The party has to surrender one of its NWFP Assembly seats in favour of a JUI-F candidate. The seat falls under the National Assembly constituency Maulana Samiul Haq is contesting from.

The MMA had resolved that the decision of fielding candidates against provincial assembly seats falling under the NA constituencies being contested by central leaders would be left to the leader concerned. Under the decision, Qazi Husain Ahmad made an adjustment with the PPP-Sherpao on the PA seats falling under his Nowshera NA constituency.

But Mr Samiul Haq yielded to the pressure of Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Qazi Husain when they both visited him. He, however, made it clear to them that contesting from a seat was not a big deal. The real challenge was to win it.

The JUI-S is also opposed to taking any action against the components desirous of putting up candidates from the platforms of the political parties not in the MMA fold as long as the party concerned does not formally announce its decision in this regard.

Admitting adjustments with the PPP and even with the PML-QA, JUI-F information secretary Hafiz Riaz Durrani said the step was being taken wherever it suited us. He said Prof Sajid Mir had also been authorized to make adjustments with the party of his choice from the quota of seats allocated to his party by the MMA.

Earlier, Punjab MMA chief Hafiz Muhammad Idrees told reporters that they had fielded 140 candidates out of 150 National Assembly seats allocated for the province and Islamabad, and 270 out of 297 provincial assembly seats.

He told a questioner that they had taken notice of the reports that MJAH nominees would contest the polls from the platform of the PML-N. He, however, would not give details of the action.

It is learnt that Prof Sajid Mir has refused to contradict the news about fielding of MJAH nominees from the PML-N platform when Jamaat naib amir Liaquat Baloch approached him for the purpose.

When contacted, Prof Mir said he was leaving for Azad Kashmir and would talk to the press on his return.

Several attempts to contact Jamaat leaders for comments failed.