PESHAWAR: Darul Uloom Haqqania in Nowshera has become a hub of political activities with the expected revival of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, as political figures, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, went there to meet chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Maulana Samiul Haq.

According to an official statement issued here on Monday, CM Khattak visited the seminary at Akora Khattak and held a one-on-one meeting with Maulana Sami. It said the chief minister thanked the JUI-S chief for supporting the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf candidate in the NA-4 (Peshawar) by-election and his contribution towards removal of mistakes from textbooks.

Earlier, former officer of the Inter-Services Intelligence retired Major Mohammad Aamir called on Maulana Sami and held discussion on various issues, including electoral alliance among religious parties ahead of the next general election.

“During all these meetings and discussions we reviewed the current political situation, including restoration of the MMA,” Maulana Sami told Dawn by phone from Akora Khattak.

“My party wants a broader alliance of all religious parties and groups and that they contest the next elections from a joint platform,” he said, adding that the MMA should not be confined only to six parties.

Darul Uloom Haqqania in limelight as efforts under way for MMA revival

He was of the opinion that other religious groups and alliances, including Difa-i-Pakistan Council and Milli Yakjehti Council, should also be included in the MMA — a defunct six-party religio-political alliance that is likely to be formally restored next month.

The alliance’s leaders, including Mau­lana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F and Sirajul Haq of the Jamaat-i-Islami, have agreed in principle to restore the MMA and a formal announcement in this regard would be made in December. The alliance, which was formed in 2002, fell apart in 2007.

Maulana Sami said the executive council of JUI-S met at Akora Khattak on Monday and deliberated on joining of the six-party alliance, adding that a meeting of the party’s general council would be held in Lahore on Nov 28 to decide whether or not to join the MMA.

“We believe that the JUI-F and Jamaat-i-Islami should quit coalition governments at the Centre and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, respectively, otherwise revival of the MMA would be useless,” he said, adding: “Political parties always form alliances against sitting governments. It looks strange that on the one hand they (JUI-F and JI) are in the federal and provincial governments and, on the other, they are cobbling an alliance against the very parties with which they are sharing the governments.”

Responding to a question, Maulana Sami said he and the KP chief minister also discussed cooperation between the PTI and JUI-S in the next elections.

He said Major Aamir was also in favour of a broader alliance of religious parties.

Pervez Khattak also belongs to Nowshera and his government had allocated Rs300 million in the 2016-17 budget for the construction of new buildings and upgrade of Darul Uloom Haqqania.

Our Correspondent in Swabi adds: Maj Aamir told the media that he would meet Senator Sirajul Haq soon to pave the way for restoration of the MMA and contesting the next elections from a joint platform.

He said three religious leaders — Maulana Sami, Sirajul Haq and Maulana Tayyab — would play greater role in the present situation. “This is the time to put our heads together and work collectively for the rights of Muslims and against those who want to harm this pious religion,” he added.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2017