Hes no small time Maulana of some sleepy rustic hamlet. The chief of the JUI(F) is actually quite the catalyst of political wheeling-dealing these days. That, at least, is what he hopes. Of late, the Maulana has been doing the rounds on the right and centre-right political circuit, meeting with a number of opposition leaders. The rumours are thick in the air, especially after the grand dinner that he threw recently in Islamabad. The prospect of a grand national opposition alliance is being discussed openly, with the Leagues, MQM, the JUI(F), the JI and the PTI being on board.
Theres a bit of a deja vu here. If the rumours are true, it will be a throw back to the nineties when the powers that be pulled a similar stunt. Though the street power, if not voting prowess, of some in this alliance (JI, MQM and, increasingly, PTI) is phenomenal, this alleged neo-IJI would have at its disposal the children of a lost generation from all across Pakistan, the student bodies of the large number of religious seminaries that have mushroomed through the country. Sloganeering at everything from Raymond Davis to inflation, from the blasphemy law to petrol prices, these hordes can effectively disrupt, through strong-armed tactics, the otherwise well established social networks of liberal politicians and their voters across the country, the way the right has almost been able to do for the ANP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Even if the forces that matter decide not to go the route of the out-of-schedule elections, an in-house parliamentary realignment, coupled with some distributed, large scale protests, might do the trick.
All this depends, of course, on whether the countrys most powerful centre-right politician, Nawaz Sharif plays along. He might not, having learned a thing or two about the bigger picture himself. In this case, the Maulanas eyes are on the revival of the MMA at least. Even though analysts believe that a revival might not be able to do a 2002 in KP, the JUI(F) might think it has a chance, especially if the establishment chips in a bit as well. Interesting times, unfortunately.
