MMA will resign — when?
28 November, 2006
By Riaz Missen
With Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahaman saying that the MMA has got better option than en bloc resignation from the National Assembly, has strengthened the much-prevailed impression in the country that it has backtracked on the promise that it made in lieu with the passage of Women Protection Bill from the Parliament.
Some MNAs of Jamat-I-Islami, the party of Qazi Hussain Ahmad who also heads MMA, did give verbal commitment to this end but no announcement has come from the JUI-F quarters except that of Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, the general secretary of this party, but he too backtracked on his promise.
“If we resign the whole system will fall to the ground,” says Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam, the largest party in the religious alliance with government in NWFP and a stake in the PML-led Balochistan government.
Now the leadership says the MMA will definitely resign as it promised but after ensuring that the government is forced to hold general elections rather than being able to continuing its business.
The religious alliance has already set conditions for the polls to be transparent and fair: Musharraf should resign after setting up of an interim government, acceptable to all political parties of the country.
What seems a probable course for the MMA is it will increase its pressure on the ARD to make some ‘grand alliance’ on a single point agenda to force army out of politics and establishing an interim government with a prime responsibility to hold fair elections.
In the backdrop of MMA’s resignation threat, Nawaz Sharif recently urged people to rise against General Musharraf’s dictatorial rule. Zulfiqar Khosa while addressing a public rally in Qasur on Saturday said, “We are ready to sacrifice our lives in opposition to Women Protection Bill”.
Ch. Nissar Ahmad, a trusteted fellow of Nawaz Sharif, has blamed government of selling out Al-Qaeda members to the US and passing the law that will promote western culture in the society.
Raja Zafrulhaq has said America is the murderer of democracy in Pakistan and warned that unfair polls this time will result in bloodshed implying that transparent polls are not possible under Musharraf.
On his part General Musharraf has promised Mother of Elections’ this time drawing line between moderate and extremist elements of the society. He is projecting the opponents of pro-women bill as the anti-people force that is distorting the image of Pakistan as tolerant and forward looking society. He has not only appealed masses to reject such people but has expressed resolve to crush them down if they threaten law and order situation in the polity.
In such circumstances, if PPP-P joins the proposed grand alliance of the opposition parties, the result will be possibly a Marshal Law. The best course for it will be to stay neutral in the tussle between the army-led government camp and the alliance for religious parties. Benazir will also try to persuade Nawaz Sharif not to join the battle for the time being.
In a latest development Benazir has met Nawaz Sharif to persuade him to delay resignations, for doing so immediately after the passage of pro-women bill will ring alarming bells in the west.
It is noteworthy that PPP-P has supported the government sponsored Women Protection Bill but insists that it did so following the dictates of its party manifesto and that it has not violated the provisions of the Charter of Democracy that binds it with PML-N not to enter into deals with the military-led government.
Fazl-ur-Rahaman is such kind of politician who has the skills to turn tables on its opponent. He knows well that his alliance can’t afford direct conflict with the army. He will not let MMA resign until the ARD parties not do so. Till that time he will use delaying tactics and utilise the media hype regarding resignation issue to create doubts within the ARD.
The resignation issue has pushed PPP-P and MMA into zero-sum game. If Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman succeeds to win over Nawaz Sharif, the hope of alliance among the liberal parties will shatter. If BB-Nawaz understanding remains intact, MMA will keep on sitting in the Parliament. And if MMA makes ARD parties resign, PPP-P will lose the momentum it has gathered since the onset Musharraf-MMA tussle over pro-women legislation.
So the ultimate formula of power share comes into play, as usual. The resignation is not in the interest of the MMA; the ARD parties also don’t deem it fit for them that the religious parties should resign unless the dust raised through the WPB does not settle down. When all sit on the winning side, Musharraf has got reason to say: military is acting in the best interest of Pakistan.
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