ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) parliamentary board failed to develop consensus over party tickets for various constituencies.
Well-placed sources told Pakistan Today that the fissure between the two major political parties of the MMA, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and Jamiat-e-Islami (JI), is widening with each passing day, as candidates of both parties are filing their nomination papers from their respective parties instead of the MMA’s platform.
Sources said that since both parties have a considerable vote bank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), hence both parties came face to face against each other in a number of districts, while other allied parties including Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), Tehreek-i-Islami Pakistan (TIP) and Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith (MJAH) did not have a vote bank enough to match the other parties and hence, they were being given little importance in the alliance.
The MMA parliamentary board, which is jointly headed by JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch, had to finalize names of its candidates till June 5 for the general elections scheduled for July 25, 2018.
However, the board had so far failed to evolve consensus since both the parties were striving to get the lion’s share, despite the fact that June 8 is the deadline for submitting the nomination papers.
Other members of the board includes Senator Sirajul-Haq, Sajid Mir, Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi and Pir Ejaz Ahmad Hashmi.
After difference in Karak and Malakand division over the fielding of candidates, differences between JUI-F and JI surfaced in Chitral and Swabi as well, as the candidates of both parties were filing their nomination papers.
Sources also revealed to Pakistan Today that the JI and JUI-F were also facing serious problems in Peshawar and Buner.
They said that though the rest of the political parties of the alliance did not have strong vote bank, they also felt strong resentment as no formula has been finalized as how much seats would be given to them.
Other allies within the MMA said that since JUI-F and JI were demanding a greater stake, it could prove detrimental to the alliance.
In Islamabad, the MMA has only one candidate, Mian Aslam, who submitted his nomination papers for NA-53 and NA-54.
Earlier, the JI and JUI-F had developed differences pertaining to the MMA’s election symbol.
Liaqat Baloch told Pakistan Today and said, “Our provincial parliamentary board have completed their task and the central parliamentary board would issue tickets to the finalised candidates after June 8.”
Baloch added that if the matter continued to remain unresolved then it would be referred to the supreme council.
The MMA secretary general also said that there was no need for a seat sharing formula because it was not a pragmatic option.