SWABI, Oct 20: The provincial leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) said here on Saturday that the stubbornness of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was main obstacle to revival of Mutahidda Majlis-i-Ammal (MMA).

“However, we want to make it clear that our doors are open for negotiations and formation of a strong electoral alliance,” JI provincial deputy chief Mushtaq Ahmad Khan told journalists.

He said that their party always showed flexibility as it worked for strengthening the alliance of the religious parties. He advocated for sitting across the table and giving due status to each religious party according to its strength but he made it clear that in the religious parties only JI and JUI were major parties.

Mr Khan said that they had put forward proposals for restoration of MMA while keeping in mind that the religious parties’ alliance should be durable and result-oriented.

What was the fate of MMA when JI boycotted the 2008 general elections, he questioned. The MMA without JI won 11 National Assembly seats while in 2002 its 67 candidates emerged victorious, he added.

“This was the difference and it may be seen again if JI remains out of the religious parties’ alliance,” Mr Khan said. He said that it seemed JUI was not ready to give due attention to their proposals because Maulana Fazlur Rehman wanted to be on driving seat without any preconditions but at the same time he had planned to exploit the fraternity of the religious parties for his own purposes.

“We oppose these tactics and strive for a strong alliance of the religious parties across the country,” the JI leader said.

To a question, he said that they were ready to form alliance with all anti-America parties. After announcement of election schedule they might move for seat adjustment with different political parties, the JI leader said.

Mohammad Usman, former MNA, said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman initiated a psychological war against JI because he was not ready to accept the conditions put forward by JI leaders.

The policy adopted by Maulana Fazlur Rehman would harm not only harm JUI but all the religious parties, he said. “If religious parties stand together then they would certainly achieve their desired objectives but if they fail they would definitely face great difficulties,” Mr Usman said.