JUI may dissociate from anti-Musharraf parties

Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday hinted at ending a fragile association with rest of anti-Musharraf opposition parties but decided to keep intact the alliance of religious outfits to contest parliamentary polls together.
"The problems have aggravated and...I believe we can no more go along with other opposition parties," Maulana Fazl was quoted as telling his top party leaders at a meeting here. Fazl, however, did not announce formally to part ways with All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) at the end of a two-day meeting of JUI consultative council or Majlis-e-Shura.
Major opposition outfits except Pakistan People's Party (PPP) formed an alliance called APDM to struggle jointly for ousting President General Pervez Musharraf at a London conference convened by former premier Nawaz Sharif in July this year.
JUI then favoured the formation of the alliance but later defied many of its decisions. The differences between Fazl and other APDM parties reached a climax during this month's disputed re-election of Musharraf wherein JUI failed to live up to their expectations.
Sources told Business Recorder after the meeting that it now seemed almost decided that JUI-F would move forward with its own policies regardless of what other opposition parties did.
MMA TO STAY Sources said the meeting harshly criticised Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) president Qazi Hussain Ahmed but decided not to let the alliance split before the polls.
They said there was a general opinion within the party that the unity helped the alliance grabbed unprecedented electoral gains in 2002 and the same could do the magic now.
Formed before the general elections in 2002, the six-party alliance of religio-political outfits have lately been threatened by surging differences between two major components-JUI of Fazl and Jamaat-i-Islami of Qazi Hussain Ahmed. But, the sources said, the meeting had decided not to let these differences defuse the alliance ahead of coming polls.
The meeting has also accused President Pervez Musharraf of electioneering for ruling Pakistan Muslim League and asked the Election Commission to stop him. The JUI has rejected a proposed ban on public rallies ahead of polls, saying it was an attempt to bar political parties let the public know facts.