LAHORE, March 5: The Pakistan People’s party (PPP) tried to woo the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) with offering it an electoral alliance for the next general election, JI Amir Syed Munawar Hasan claimed in an interview with Dawn on Monday.

The JI rejected the offer as it was mindful of the fact that considering the decades-long hostility between the two parties, PPP voters would hardly support JI candidates, he said.

The PPP on its trail to find more political friends sent Senator Babar Awan to hold talks with the JI. Mr Hasan said that Dr Awan conveyed the message of friendship to him on behalf of PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.

“When the PPP vote bank does not turn to us, the alliance is useless,” the JI amir said.

Mr Hasan said his party also turned down a Dr Awan’s request to restrain from issuing anti-government statements in order to avoid any confrontation.

“We told the PPP leader that it would be hard for us to do so as every one has a right to comment and criticise government’s policies publicly.

“We also told the PPP leader that the JI will not criticise the PPP just on the basis of on speculations.”

Dr Awan could not be contacted for comment despite several calls made to him.

Though the Jamaat sees no electoral cooperation possibilities with the PPP, it is however in talks with other mainstream parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Once the elections were announced, parties would expedite the electoral talks.

When asked why the JI also criticised the PML-N, he said PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif had thwarted opposition parties’ struggle for early elections. He said opposition parties in a meeting in Islamabad last month had decided to launch a drive to press the government for early elections. The meeting was also attended by Mr Sharif who later covertly contacted the PPP and gave it a lease of life through the 20th Constitutional Amendment.

Mr Hasan said the PML-N had a history of backtracking on its stances. Earlier the PML-N demanded mid-term elections but for its vested interests, it forgot its mid-term and early polls demands.

He said that both the PPP and the PML-N were working hand in glove making the nation fool.

“Why they (PPP and PML-N) didn’t table the 20th Amendment in parliament for debate?” he said.

“You can see their foul play in the 20th Amendment as it allows both the prime minister and the opposition leader to refer to the Election Commission the case of appointment of the premier for an interim period. Why they didn’t agree to refer the issue to the Supreme Court as the chief justice would decide the case on merit,” he said About the revival of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, he said he had asked JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman to identify and discuss the mistakes that led to the dissolution of the alliance.

He urged Supreme Court’s commission to probe the memogate thoroughly and punish those involved in conspiring against the country and its military leadership. About Pakistan-India trade, he said the JI opposed the MFN status for India. “It is a matter of respect and integrity of our country. When India is not ready to play cricket with us, why we have given it MFN status, he said.

“I’m sure that India with the backing of the US wants to reach Afghanistan via Pakistan only to enhancer US control in the region,” he said.

“Also, India and the US are creating a war-like situation in Balochistan so that we cannot materialize the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline,” he said.