A few months before the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amalâs recent deal with the government on the Legal Framework Order, some leading businessmen in Karachi told Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Amir Jamaat-e Islami, that they would not become a party to any anti-Musharraf agitation. Insiders say the Jamaat had approached the business community to ascertain the level of support the MMA could draw from it. âItâs good they have reached an agreement and have accepted Musharraf. I am glad the MMA leadership has shown maturity,â a prominent businessman at the Karachi Stock Exchange told TFT, adding: âThe business community would not have backed the MMA and the message was clearly communicated to them in âmany waysâ.â
However, serious differences have already surfaced within the MMA component parties. While the alliance has suspended membership of at least three of its MPAs from the Punjab for voting in favour of President Musharraf, it has failed to take any action against Prof Sajid Mir, chief of the Jamiat Ahle-Hadith. Mir not only voted against Musharraf and spoke against the deal, he believes that the alliance leaders have deviated from their stand. Sources said the relationship between the two Deobandi parties of the MMA, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam JUI (Fazl) and JUI (Sami) has been tense for the past year.
JUI-S sources say the party chief Maulana Samiul Haq has frequently reminded the MMA leadership that his party has been ignored on several occasions and kept out of the loop. âFor all practical purposes, itâs not a deal between MMA and the government, but between JUI-F/JI and Musharraf,â a JUI-S leader told TFT.
| Hard to muscle in when the big dogs are growling, ain't it? |
The madrassah students, not exactly thrilled with the deal, say the MMA has legitimised Musharraf. âFor the past three years we have been told by them that he is an agent of America, a friend of the infidels. Today, they say they have no other choice and have reached the best possible deal,â Osama Razi, a madrassah student who fought in Afghanistan, told TFT. Even in the tense scenario, with talks breaking down off and on, the MMA never threatened to quit the Balochistan government or allowed any confrontation between the NWFP government and Islamabad to get out of hand. Despite all kinds of strong statements coming from leaders like Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman they never wanted to lose control in the two provincial governments. Sources said the MMA-led government in the Frontier and its coalition in Balochistan kept a âmysterious silenceâ over the operation against the Taliban and Al Qaeda activists, a clear deviation from its principled stand. âAll these indications for the past few months gave clear signals that the MMA was never serious about the agitation,â said a political observer. But observers believe the MMA has achieved two things: first, they wanted to consolidate their position in the Frontier and Balochistan, which they now can after the deal. Second, they realised that the people were not ready for the movement.
| I'm betting the MMA is being given the opportunity to dip into the till to the same extent the secular parties did... |
Finally, the businessmen were solidly behind Musharraf. âThe problem is now with the PPP and the PML-N. Can they pose a serious challenge to Musharraf?â asks a political observer. He answers his own question by saying: âThey can if one or both the leaders risks returning to the country. But that is unlikely to happen.â
| The seculars have been brought to heel, I think, and the MMA set up with a similar fall in its future. Maybe Anna Comnena could keep track of the ins and outs if she was still around, but I have a headache. |
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