Jamiat Ulmae Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is unlikely to attend a 'decisive' meeting of anti-Musharraf political parties to ponder upon whether to boycott the parliamentary polls. Former premier Nawaz Sharif will chair the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) meeting scheduled for Thursday in Lahore.
Maulana confirmed to Business Recorder that Sharif had asked him to attend the meeting in a telephonic talk on Monday but did not sound willingness on whether he planned to participate in the mega opposition gathering. "I have received the invitation (from Sharif) through a telephone call," he told this correspondent without commenting on how he responded to the call.
Even when pressed, Maulana did not come out with a clear answer. "We will decide this in a meeting of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Wednesday," he said.
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, however, said he would not only attend the meeting himself but also convince Maulana to be there. "I will try my best to convince him (for participating in the meeting)," he told this correspondent on telephone from Nowshera district in NWFP where he filed nomination papers earlier in the day. Qazi, who is also the president of MMA, said he was ready to boycott polls if the APDM decided so.
Asked what would happen to the unity of Islamic alliance if Maulana did not follow his decision, Qazi said, "I don't want to say anything on the basis of guesses." Despite clear differences in their respective stance on boycotting polls, both Qazi and Fazl want to contest election together because the unity is the only thing that can ensure maximum electoral gains for conservative Islamists.
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