Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !

India-Pakistan

MMA withdraws decision to resign from assembly

2007-02-14

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Tuesday withdrew its decision to resign from the National Assembly, and unanimously elected Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman president and secretary general of the six-party religious alliance for another two years. The party also decided to end its boycott of the National Assembly. “After a lengthy debate on the issue, the MMA central council decided to withdraw its decision of parliamentary resignations,” MMA Deputy Secretary General Liaquat Baloch told a press conference at Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s residence. “The Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan wanted to go ahead with parliamentary resignations in protest at the Women’s Protection Act, but the other parties – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Senior and Pakistan Islami Tehrik – opposed this decision,” said Baloch. However, he said that the option of parliamentary resignations would remain open, and the MMA would quit if all other opposition parties went for en-bloc resignations from the NA in the future. He said that the council was of the view that the current situation at the national and international levels was dangerous, therefore the MMA should not resign. Baloch said a meeting of the MMA parliamentary party would be held at Parliament House today. He said that the elections for the MMA’s central offices had also been completed, and Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been unanimously elected president and secretary general of the alliance.

Link

India-Pakistan

Qazi left isolated on NSC issue

2005-12-20

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Supreme Council meeting on Monday isolated MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed while supporting a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) proposal to allow Maulana Fazlur Rehman, MMA secretary general and opposition leader in the National Assembly, and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani to attend future National Security Council (NSC) meetings. Qazi's been against MMA participation in the NSC ever since the NSC was first constituted, at least in its present form. Fazl's edged around to wanting to attend, since that's where the decisions are actually made, and Qazi's been blocking him. Sami's been of the same non-cooperative view as Qazi, but he's been so green with jealousy of both Qazi and Fazl that he hasn't done much but make a laughingstock of himself, which I'd guess is why his party just threw him out. I'd also guess his party's about to split, which should make two minuscule factions of no weight at all. Five MMA factions supported JUI-F’s proposal. Sources privy to the meeting told Daily Times that the five factions were of the view that Fazl and Durrani should not be stopped from attending NSC meetings. “A heated debate took place between Qazi and Fazl on the issue,” sources added. Comes as a surprise, huh? Their respective egos are nearly as large as their bellies. Qazi told the meeting that Fazl and Durrani’s participation would be a disaster for the MMA’s political future, sources said, adding that Fazl replied by saying Qazi should accept the decision of the majority and that in this regard five parties had supported JUI-F’s argument. Sources said that after the debate MMA leaders decided to leave the issue to the four smaller MMA factions including the Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Senior, Pakistan Islami Tehrik and Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan. They said Qazi also could not get the meeting to support a protest movement against President Pervez Musharraf. There've been so many of them, I don't think anybody pays any attention anymore... Sources said Fazl was of the view that the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz were in contact with the government and wanted to strike a deal. Fazl also said if other opposition parties would start a protest movement against Musharraf, the MMA would join them, sources said. They quoted Fazl as saying, “But the MMA won’t prepare the ground for other opposition parties to strike a deal with the government by starting a protest movement.”

Link

Afghanistan/South Asia

MMA weighs major policy changes

2004-03-09

Faced with deepening rifts within its own ranks, and evidence that at least three smaller parties may soon break away, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is considering ending even its loose alliance with the Jamali government. It could even move for change within the National Assembly. The decision is said to have been made following the government action in South Waziristan, fiercely opposed by the MMA, and the need to draw the parties within the alliance closer together. At least three parties have stayed away from recent high-level meetings, and this is also preventing a Supreme Council meeting being called, in case the rifts become more apparent. The Jamiat Ahle Hadees (JAH), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami) boycotted the MMA's presidential meeting called by its acting president Qazi Hussain Ahmed last week, indicating the rift within the alliance is worse than its leaders thought. Sources said that Qazi wanted to settle the MMA's differences and address the concerns of smaller parties, even if this meant an end to even a loose alliance with the government. However only two party chiefs of the MMA's component parties attended the meeting called by Qazi. They were Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of Jamaat Islami and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl). Allama Ramzan Tauqir represented the Pakistan Islami Tehrik, with the lower-level representation indicating unhappiness within this group as well. "Maulana Samiul Haq, chief of JUI-S urged JUP and JAH leaders not to attend the meeting and establish a separate block within the alliance," sources said. Maulana Sami talked to JAH Ameer Prof Sajid Mir and JUP head Pir Ejaz Hashmi on the phone and advised them to take strong action against the JI and the JUI-F. Qazi and Hafiz Ahmed tried their best to convince the disaffected leaders to attend the meeting but they refused to budge. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, spokesman for the MMA, confirmed to Gulf News that that the three parties did not attend the meeting but he hoped they would attend future meetings. The MMA meanwhile has been informing all parties that it has decided to withdraw support to Jamali government and is pondering on an in-house change after the military action in South Waziristan. This too appears to be a move to win disgruntled parties back into the MMA fold. I just love watching 350-pound egos compete.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-3 More