PESHAWAR: Heads of six religious parties will meet in Lahore today (Thursday) to discuss possibilities of forming again the religious-political alliance called Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) ahead of the next general elections.

The MMA, an electoral political alliance, won general election in 2002 and came to power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, it got dissolved in 2007 before the tenure of the government in the provinces was even completed.

The Jamaat-i-Islami is hosting the meeting at its headquarters in Mansoora, where, the sources claimed, a report of the steering committee on the term of references for the renewal of the alliance will come under discussion.

JI chief Senator Sirajul Haq, chief of their own factions of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Samiul Haq, heads of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Owais Noorani, Tehreek Islami Pakistan leader Allama Sajid Naqvi and Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith head will attend the event.

“There are 60 percent chances that the leaders will announce restoration of the alliance after discussing the steering committee’s report,” said a leader of JUI-F.

“It will be an electoral alliance if the MMA is restored,” he said, adding that steering committee had finalised modalities for the restoration of the alliance.

Sources said if the alliance was revived, the book would be its election symbol.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had allotted book to the JUI-F in previous elections.

They said the JI had suggested that the joint election symbol for the upcoming elections should also include picture of the scale along with the book which was turned down.

Chairman of the proposed alliance has yet to be decided but sources said leaders were likely to announce in Mansoora about who will lead the six-party alliance.

The MMA was formed in 2002, which swept general elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the same year. The alliance had formed the government in the province, while JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman became the opposition leader in the National Assembly.

The MMA was dissolved in 2007 when differences cropped up between two major parties of the alliance, including JUI-F and JI, over resignation from the assemblies.

The JI was in favour of resignation from the assemblies to break the Electoral College to prevent former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from getting elected as the president.

Sources said the Jamaat-i-Islami finding itself in trouble in its strongholds like Upper and Lower Dir districts of Malakand division needed the support of other religio-political parties to retain its previous position in the next elections slated to be held next year.

“Unlike the JUI-F, the JI is more desperate to form alliance ahead of the next general elections,” said a source.

He said the JI was nervous about the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf, its coalition partner in the KP government, in its strongholds for the next elections.

The JI had won six provincial assembly and two National Assembly seats from Lower, Dir, Upper Dir and Buner districts. PTI Chairman Imran Khan recently addressed well attended public meetings in Malakand.

“The JI feels threatened by the PTI in its pockets in Malakand division and therefore, it has become desperate for the revival of the MMA to counter the PTI in its strongholds,” said the source, adding that the PTI is emerging a major threat to the JI.

Jamaat had already suffered defeat at the hands of Pakistan People’s Party in by-election in Upper Dir.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2017