KARACHI, Dec 6: The political embrace of the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazlur Rehman) seemed to turn into a do-or-die duel when the latter made an unembarrassed announcement on Wednesday that its legislators would not resign from the National Assembly over the Protection of Women Act.

The parliamentary party of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal began a crisis meeting shortly after the JUI-F decision and sought to paper over the cracks in the religious alliance whose astute leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman had earlier made unambiguous statements that MMA legislators would quit parliament if the government amended the heavily criticised Hudood laws.

“Yes, the MMA is a crisis-plagued alliance at the moment,” said JI secretary-general Munawwar Hasan. However, he hastened to add that the political fencing between the JI and the JUI-F would not result in an unseemly disintegration of the MMA.

The general-secretary of the JUI-F central executive committee, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidery, told the Online news agency that all provisional committees of the party had recommended that MMA legislators should not resign from the National Assembly.

The president of the JUI-F Karachi chapter, Qari Usman, told Dawn that only two members of the 60-strong Majlis-i-Shoora were against the JUI-F decision of not quitting the assemblies in protest against the women’s rights bill.

“Hafiz Hussain Ahmad and another dissenter had opposed the decision. It can, therefore, be said that the JUI-F decision was near-unanimous,” he said.

Mr Hasan said the MMA parliamentary party would hold a make-or-break meeting on Thursday morning.“Both the JI and JUI-F will hold separate meetings before the MMA parliamentary party meeting. If they fail to iron out their differences, the matter will be referred to the MMA supreme council,” he explained.

The MMA supreme council consists of 18 members – three members of each of the six component parties.

Ahmed Hassan adds from Islamabad: MMA sources said the parliamentary party would try its utmost to convince JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad not to veto JUI-F recommendations.

They feared that secular parties would benefit from the MMA’s decision of quitting parliament.