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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| MMA weighs major policy changes | |
| 2004-03-09 | |
| Faced with deepening rifts within its own ranks, and evidence that at least three smaller parties may soon break away, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is considering ending even its loose alliance with the Jamali government. It could even move for change within the National Assembly. The decision is said to have been made following the government action in South Waziristan, fiercely opposed by the MMA, and the need to draw the parties within the alliance closer together. At least three parties have stayed away from recent high-level meetings, and this is also preventing a Supreme Council meeting being called, in case the rifts become more apparent. The Jamiat Ahle Hadees (JAH), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami) boycotted the MMA's presidential meeting called by its acting president Qazi Hussain Ahmed last week, indicating the rift within the alliance is worse than its leaders thought. Sources said that Qazi wanted to settle the MMA's differences and address the concerns of smaller parties, even if this meant an end to even a loose alliance with the government. However only two party chiefs of the MMA's component parties attended the meeting called by Qazi. They were Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of Jamaat Islami and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl). Allama Ramzan Tauqir represented the Pakistan Islami Tehrik, with the lower-level representation indicating unhappiness within this group as well. "Maulana Samiul Haq, chief of JUI-S urged JUP and JAH leaders not to attend the meeting and establish a separate block within the alliance," sources said. Maulana Sami talked to JAH Ameer Prof Sajid Mir and JUP head Pir Ejaz Hashmi on the phone and advised them to take strong action against the JI and the JUI-F. Qazi and Hafiz Ahmed tried their best to convince the disaffected leaders to attend the meeting but they refused to budge. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, spokesman for the MMA, confirmed to Gulf News that that the three parties did not attend the meeting but he hoped they would attend future meetings. The MMA meanwhile has been informing all parties that it has decided to withdraw support to Jamali government and is pondering on an in-house change after the military action in South Waziristan. This too appears to be a move to win disgruntled parties back into the MMA fold.
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| Posted by:Fred |