LAHORE: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F), spent a busy Friday in Lahore discussing possibilities of the future politics of his political party.

The JUI-F leader has been in Punjab’s capital for the last few days, where he is apparently participating in the final round of talks for the revival of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six religious parties.

The maulana visited Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and later dined with Pakistan People’s Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari. There was no official word issued to media after either of the two meetings.

A JUI-F spokesperson, however, told Dawn that the party president’s discussions with Mr Sharif and Mr Zardari focused heavily on some reports about preparations that were under way to dissolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, in order to put off the Senate elections scheduled for March.

“Maulana sahib offered Juma prayers with Shahbaz Sharif followed by a one-on-one meeting,” Hafiz Riaz Durrani, the spokesperson, said.

JUI-F chief is in Lahore for final round of talks to revive MMA

The JUI-F chief then visited Mr Zardari at his Bahria Town residence.

The two have a long association, Mr Durrani added, but refused to comment on a rumour that their ‘casual’ meeting was followed by a closed-door session.

Responding to a question, he said the JUI-F was perturbed at reports that “some extra-constitutional measures, like dissolving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, are in the offing,” and the issue should have definitely featured in the meetings.

He denied that the PPP and JUI-F leaders had discussed possibilities of an electoral alliance ahead of the elections this year. The JUI-F is a political ally of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the federal government.

Answering a question about the JUI-F’s role in stirring up trouble for the PML-N government in Balochistan, Mr Durrani said the PML-N’s internal rifts in the restive province were to be blamed for the debacle and the JUI-F, while sitting on the opposition benches, could not have distanced itself from the no-trust move introduced against then chief minister Sanaullah Zehri.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2018