Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Saturday said that the Friday’s reported meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi might temporarily benefit the latter but it would be disastrous for her party. “The reported meeting between President Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto might bring some personal favors to Miss Buhtto, but it would ruin her party and disappoint her party leaders, who have been waiting for her in London,” said MMA Deputy Secretary General Liaquat Baloch while addressing a press conference here. Mian Muhammad Aslam MNA and Syed Bilal, Jamaat-i-Islami, Islamabad, Amir, were also present on the occasion. Baloch accused Ms Buhtto of trying to bail out Musharraf when what he said the Supreme Court’s decision in the CJP case had already weakened him. Referring to the meeting, he said it would be politically beneficial to Musharraf. He said there were widespread rumors of an expected meeting between PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and General Musharraf; however, when they contacted Sharif brothers in London they denied any such move. Answering a question about collective resignations by MMA after the resignation of Qazi Hussain Ahmad, he said, MMA was part of the All Parties Democratic Alliance (APDM) and the option to collectively submit resignations if Musharraf tried to get himself elected from the present assemblies was safe with them.
Liaquat also criticized the military operation against Lal Masjid and demolition of Jamia Hafsa and demanded immediate release of the arrested students. He also demanded release of Maulana Abdul Aziz, the chief cleric of Lal Masjid, and his family. Baloch said MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad would address a rally at Karachi Company on Sunday (today) to protest the desecration of Holy Quran during the Lal Masjid operation. He said the MMAÂ’s parliamentary meeting would also meet on Monday, July 31st, before the National Assembly session.