LAHORE
Compared to the Jamaat-e-Islami, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) always demonstrated better compliance to the collective decisions of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and even now JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman seems more enthusiastic about reviving the forum than anything else, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan chief Senator Professor Sajid Mir said on Wednesday.
Talking exclusively to Pakistan Today in the provincial metropolis, he said that the JUI-F and JI were at such odds with each other that once former JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad suggested the formation of a new religious parties’ coalition without the JUI-F and Fazl in particular.
Mir went on to state that Qazi assured him that Fazl’s exclusion would not matter much as other people from his ranks would join the proposed alliance. Perhaps, Qazi was talking about the JUI- Ideological faction that surfaced subsequently, he added.
Mir said, “But I refused to entertain this idea. Ironically, similar suggestions were put forth by the JUI quarters regarding Qazi Hussain Ahmed and his party. If Qazi Hussain Ahmad was tough, his successor is tougher. He has laid down a pre-condition that the JUI-F must leave the coalition government prior to joining the MMA. I feel this is not an appropriate demand.”
Conditionality: Mir continued, “The Jamaat-e-Islami’s conditionality is too stern. We can ask JUI to part ways with the government but we cannot impose this on them.” He suggested that once the MMA was restored, such decisions could be made in a much more conducive atmosphere.
Mir declared the MMA “a blessing for the religious right of this country” and said that it would hold great promise even if revived as a non-political entity. He, however, said that the current political atmosphere was not conducive for such a venture. Regarding the attacks on shrines, Mir stated that all schools of thought held saints and their final resting places as sacred.
Any act of terrorism against these holy sites should not be used by anyone to further their own agenda, he said. Terrorists operate beyond any considerations of affiliation. In such a critical situation, any reference to sensitive issues or attempts to invoke sectarian feelings must be avoided at all costs. Fanning a sectarian divide was an old trick employed by the powers averse to Muslims, Mir said.
Nothing for granted: Referring to the composite dialogue going on between Pakistan and the US, he said that the government should not try to take any credit for their parleys with the US. We all know that America was courting Pakistan in its desperation for an honourable exit from Afghanistan, Mir said.
He admitted that his party was in favour of midterm election, but stated that the unprecedented devastation caused by the flooding had changed the whole scenario. Right now, there was no chance of any in-house change in the federal government due to “certain reasons”, he added.
Talking about recent developments in domestic politics, Mir observed that the meeting between Law Minister Babar Awan with PML-Q’s Pervaiz Elahi was indicative of the unending potential of political parties for making u-turns. He claimed that such moves were not helpful to the political temperature of the country.
When asked about the recent confrontation between the judiciary and the executive, Mir said that the judiciary was on the right course. They were assertive but cautious, giving a chance to the government to mend its ways. If they fail to do so, the law was bound to take its course, he added.
