ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Tuesday rescinded its earlier decision to resign from the National Assembly and decided to end boycott of the ongoing session of the lower house.

The six-party alliance also retained Qazi Hussain Ahmed as president and Maulana Fazlur Rahman as secretary-general.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the alliance’s central council comprising three representatives from each component party at the residence of Qazi Hussain here.

The MMA central council had earlier announced that in the event of passage of the women protection bill, their legislators would resign from their seats. The decision was opposed by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) and later by Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Tehrik-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami).

The Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan were strong advocates of quitting the National Assembly, but they changed their stand “in the interest of the alliance’s unity”.

Briefing the press, deputy secretary general Liaqat Baloch and secretary information Pir Ijaz Hashmi said the alliance had decided to discuss the issues of resignation and an anti-government movement with other opposition parties for a joint stand. Mr Baloch said the council had decided that protests against the ‘un-Islamic’ women protection act would be continued.