Six mainstream religious parties of Pakistan have decided to revive Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a decade after the political alliance was dissolved over differences.
The parties in the MMA represent all the four schools of thought — Brelvi, Deobandi, Ahle Hadith and Shia.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (United Council of Action) would contest next elections under the old symbol (book) and manifesto.
The parties’ heads decided to contact other religious parties to convince them to join the alliance.
The six parties are Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulma-i- Islam-Fazal, Jamiat Ulma-i-Pakistan-Noorani, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Samiual Haq and Islami Tehreek.
The leaders of these parties held a meeting on Thursday at Jamaat-i-Islami headquarters in Lahore’s Mansoora and announced that they have decided in principle to revive the MMA.
The leaders of the parties expressed hope that under the MMA platform they will perform well in the 2018 elections.
“We have decided to revive the MMA,” Jamaat-i-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq said, adding that the decision was taken in the light of recommendations of the six-member committee tasked to formulate mechanism for the revival of the MMA.
Formed in 2002, the MMA, which was a political alliance consisting of ultra-conservative, Islamist, religious, and far-right parties of Pakistan, ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from 2002 to 2007 before it became dormant after developing internal rifts on the issue of contesting general elections in 2008.
This week, Pakistan’s religious-cum-political parties belonging to Sunni sect have also formed a new alliance - Nizam-i-Mustafa Grand Alliance — to contest 2018 general elections under its banner.
Former federal minister for religious affairs of PPP regime Hamid Saeed Kazmi has been elected its temporary head.
The Sunni alliance has been formed in the backdrop of two religious outfits — Taheek Labaik Ya Rasul Allah and Jamat- ud-Dawah’s Milli Muslim League — that performed well in recently held by-poll in Lahore’s NA-120 where ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife Begum Kulsoom won the seat.
