KARACHI, Aug 26: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Maulana Umar Sadiq on Tuesday denied any deal between the alliance and the provincial government and refuted reports that it had agreed to be part of zakat committees.

He was responding to questions at a news conference in the backdrop of his alliance’s meeting with chief minister.He said that being elected representatives, it was their duty to take up their problems with the concerned authorities, but this did not mean that any deal had been struck.

“The people in our constituencies are devoid of basic facilities and we had just raised their problems in our meeting with the CM,” he clarified.

When his attention was drawn towards the official announcement, made after the meeting and in which it was claimed that the MMA members had been inducted in zakat committees, the Maulana categorically denied such reports.

“I am parliamentary leader of the MMA and I categorically state that we have not nominated any member on the committees,”

In reply to the question whether MMA would be part of the planned protest rallies in Sindh against the GTC and Kalabagh dam projects, he said that member parties of the alliance had always opposed these projects and would continue to do so.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Jamaat-i-Islami are also members of the Anti-Thal Canal Committee and their leaders have actively been participating in the ongoing protest campaign, he pointed out.

He said that the party workers would be directed to take part in the new phase of mass contact movement starting Aug 28.