—JI claims secular forces are conspiring to sideline religious parties
LAHORE: The religiopolitical parties of the country are once again gearing up to make an electoral alliance ahead of the next general elections on the pattern of Muttahida-Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)-an alliance of the religiopolitical parties that was formed ahead of general elections of 2002.
The MMA has been dysfunctional since 2007 because of the differences between some parties but efforts are again afoot to make such an alliance to secure maximum seats in the next elections, it has been reliably learnt.
A meeting in this regard took place between Senate Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who is also Secretary General of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl-ur-Rehman (JIU-F), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Secretary General Liaquat Baloch on Monday, in which future working relationship of religious parties was discussed.
It is worth mentioning here that the JUI-F and JI are the only religious parties that are considered as having maximum religious vote bank in Pakistan and MMA remained dysfunctional because of the differences between these two parties.
Talking to Pakistan Today, JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch said that “secular forces are hatching a conspiracy in order to sideline the religious parties from the national arena but we are trying hard to unite the religious parties in a bid to foil the nefarious designs of these secular forces.”
“The efforts were also made to sideline the mosque and mullah in the country but history has proved that neither mullah nor mosque was involved in any sort of militancy in Pakistan,” Baloch said.
“I was in constant contact with all the religious leaders, including Pir Ijaz Hashmi of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP), Shah Awais Noorani (the head of his own faction of JUP), Islami Tehreek Chief Allama Sajid Naqvi, JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq and Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith chief Professor Sajid Mir during the last few years.
Now, it is a good omen for the country that JUI-F has also started contacting these leaders ahead of the next general elections,” Baloch said. The JUI-F, however, is a coalitional partner of the federal government of PML-N and the head of JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the worst critic of PTI’s chief Imran Khan (the coalition partner of JI in the KP).
When asked if such a scenario can damage the future working relationship of the JUI-F and JI, Baloch said that the PTI and JI are two independent political parties and it is a right of any political party to make alliances with any other political entity.
Meanwhile, Maulana Haideri said that Sirajul Haq expressed his desire during the International Congregation of JUI-F in Noshehra that all the religious parties should unite in the country. “It is the need of the hour that all the religious forces must unite to defeat the challenges that Pakistan is facing today,” Maulana Haideri said.
JUI-F’s Maulana Amjad Khan, JI’s Ameer from KP, Mushtaq Ahmed, JI’s deputy chief Dr Farid Paracha were also present at the occasion.
