Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed has failed to convince Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to boycott the general elections scheduled for January 8. Fazl prevailed over Qazi yet again at the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Supreme Council meeting here on Thursday.Sources told Daily Times that despite Qazi taking a hardline during the meeting, Fazl remained adamant and the council decided to leave the decision of boycotting the elections to the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) platform. Fazl argued that the MMA should not opt for a boycott unilaterally, and that it would be premature to make any such decision at this point. The council decided to let candidates of the six-party alliance file their nominations independently, and decide on joint candidates later, if the MMA decides to contest the elections. The council directed intending candidates to obtain nomination papers from concerned returning officers concerned for national and provincial seats, and decided to field one candidate from each constituency on the basis of recommendations from the heads of the component parties. The council also decided that efforts would be made to generate consensus on a candidate from the national and provincial constituencies if the APDM agreed to contest rather than boycott the elections.
File for reserved seats by Nov 24, rest by 26: Each component party was asked to convene meetings of their parliamentary boards and file nomination papers for the reserved seats for women and minorities by November 24. The remaining nomination papers should be filed by November 26, they decided. The council also agreed that there was no time to bargain over seat-to-seat adjustments within the alliance component parties, and decided that this should be put on hold till after the filing of nomination papers. The heads of the MMA component parties also agreed they would retain the option of boycotting the elections if the other opposition parties decided the same.
They also decided to consult the Pakistan PeopleÂ’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on the boycott option.
They decided that the MMA leadership would try to forge a grand alliance of opposition parties against the ruling regime, despite agreeing to file nomination papers. The sources said the APDM could call an all-parties conference likely to be chaired by Justice (r) Wajeehuddin because of his impartiality. They also said the MMA suggested that opposition parties should bring their joint candidates against the regimeÂ’s candidates if the APDM decided to contest the elections.