ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: The parliamentary party of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has decided that its legislators will not resign from the National Assembly now, and referred the issue back to the alliance’s 18-member supreme council which is likely to meet after Eid-ul-Azha.

After deliberations spanning two days, the parliamentary party also decided to ask the supreme council to review its decision requiring the alliance’s legislators to quit their assembly seats in the event of the passage of the women’s rights bill, MMA leaders told newsmen here on Thursday.

The council is likely to meet after Eid-ul-Azha to reconsider the decision which has caused open fissures within MMA ranks after the passage of the bill, with the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) insisting on resigning while Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) advising caution.

Insiders said during the meeting, MMA president and JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad succumbed to JUI-F's reluctance to quit parliament and agreed to refer the issue back to the supreme council.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s demand to allow legislators of his party to resign unilaterally was rejected.

Appearing dejected, the JI chief declined to meet mediapersons waiting outside, and left the place immediately after the meeting.

Maulana Fazl told newsmen that the decision had been taken on the basis of majority opinion.

“The decision will help us dedicate more time to our ongoing negotiations with other opposition parties, including the PPP and the PML (N), which are pressing us not to take a unilateral decision to resign,” he said.

He said the alliance’s supreme council would discuss the programme of an anti-government campaign to oust General Musharraf from power. He said General Musharraf wanted to divide the nation on the basis of faith, and that would not be tolerated.

Answering a question, the JUI-F chief said: “We will continue our struggle against unconstitutional changes, both inside and outside parliament, and the decision on resignations will not affect our struggle.”

He said if the government summoned the National Assembly, the alliance’s supreme council would be convened to take a decision.

Deputy secretary-general of MMA Liaqat Baloch told newsmen that the alliance’s parliamentary party meeting had unanimously decided to refer back the issue of resignations to the supreme council. Till a decision in this regard, details of an anti-government movement would be finalised, he said.

He said he would head a six-member coordination committee set up to draw a strategy for the movement while Maulana Fazlur Rahman would lead the alliance’s team to negotiate with other political parties on resignation and other issues.

Sources told Dawn that Maulana Mohammed Khan Sherani, the chief of JUI-F’s Balochistan chapter, vehemently opposed the decision to quit the assembly seats.

Maulana Sherani and his group had made it clear at the meeting that the alliance’s MPs from Balochistan would not resign even if the MMA decided to do so, said the sources. He asked the alliance’s leadership to prepare for launching an anti-government movement and continue the struggle both inside and outside parliament, they added.