After the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) turned down Jamaat-e-Islami’s proposal of seat adjustment on mutual basis in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for the next general election, the latter has accelerated its efforts for the revival of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), Pakistan Today learnt reliably on Saturday.
According to sources in both parties, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan held a secret meeting some weeks ago in which the latter proposed mutual seat adjustment for the next general election.
However, Fazl rejected the proposal, saying it held a number of provincial and National Assembly seats while the JI had no representation in the assemblies.
The sources said a meeting to discuss the revival of MMA was scheduled to be held on December 13, but both parties told Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, who has been assigned the task for facilitating meetings to discuss the revival of MMA, that before discussing the revival, they wanted to discuss it privately.
Both Fazl and Hassan requested Zubair, who is the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, that the meeting scheduled for on December 13 be postponed so that both parties could discuss the issue at party level and mutually.
Sources said Munawar Hassan, who earlier was not interested in the revival of the MMA, had now consented to the idea. He also constituted a committee led by Liaqat Baloch to discuss the revival of MMA with JUI-F before it is taken up at the MMA forum.
The sources said that leadership of both the parties has agreed to revive the MMA and then enter into seat adjustment formula with other parties.
Meanwhile, religio-political parties of the Barelvi school of thought have shown leanings towards Sunni Ittehad Council led by Sahibzada Fazl Karim.
“These parties are now least interested in the revival of MMA… all parties of Barelvi school of thought are holding intra-party meetings to discuss how to strengthen the Sunni Ittehad Council,” a source in the parties said.
