MMA has come to stay, says JUI

Published September 5, 2002

ISLAMABAD, Sept 4: A senior leader of Muttahida Majlise Amal (MMA) and secretary-general of JUI(F) Hafiz Hussain said on Wednesday that the religio-political alliance had come to stay and would not be breaking up on adversaries dreams.

Talking to Dawn Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said that the alliance has completed internal seat adjustments on over 90 per cent of the national and provincial assemblies seats and perhaps it may allow district-level organizations to enter into local seat adjustments with like-minded parties like PML(N).

The Sept 6 meeting of the heads of component parties he said would consider the modalities of adjustments with other parties and review the allotment of tickets with reference to any disputes.

To a query about the MMA’s election slogan he said, “the alliance will be pushing election campaign on the basis of the realities and developments of 9/11 and post September devastating reaction shown by the West in the region.

He said the alliance will hold major rallies in big cities of the four provinces to be addressed by the central leadership and then joint public meetings will be arranged by the component parties in all districts from the second week of September.

Before that he said the alliance was preparing to make the second phase of train march from Sept 7 a success.

Referring to various reports suggesting that a split in the MMA was imminent he said if differences on a few seats most of which had been resolved was any indicator for a split then PML’s both main factions and a number of other parties have even more disputes on distribution of tickets and they should first break up.

When asked about the real purpose behind JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s visit to Saudi Arabia besides stated Umra, he said, besides pooling funds for his party electioneering campaign, he may also have some meetings (without mentioning Sharifs).

He alleged that both the major parties PML (N) and the PPP were hobnobbing with the military regime and their nomination of second fiddle leadership in Shahbaz Sharif and Amin Fahim was a step in this direction.

Similarly, he said that the regime had given a clear signal of exposing both parties leaders through acceptance of the Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers and rejection of Benazir Bhutto’s and then dramatic withdrawal of papers by the latter.

He claimed that the withdrawal by Nawaz Sharif from the contest had exposed Sharif family’s agreement with the military regime that it can not return home for 10 years.

He said minor differences on a few seats or one of component parties tilt towards a particular party can not be described as a serious threat to the existence of the alliance.

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