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| India-Pakistan | |
| MMA in disarray before elections | |
| 2007-12-15 | |
| An Islamist alliance rode a wave of anti-US feeling to stunning election success five years ago, but plagued by division, it has lost support and looks set to suffer in a January vote. The six-party Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance capitalised on anger over the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan to sweep to power in the NWFP and become a coalition partner in Balochistan in 2002 polls. The alliance, some of whose members support Afghanistan’s Taliban, also became a bloc in the National Assembly, winning 59 seats in the 342-seat house, their best showing. But people on the streets of Peshawar said the alliance led by bearded clerics, or mullahs, had failed to deliver. “I voted for the mullahs last time but I won’t vote for them this time,” said Gul Zaman, a bearded man selling watches from a roadside stall. “They have done nothing for the people. They’ve just filled their own pockets,” he said. The province and the Tribal Areas on the Afghan border are where the military is fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Hundreds of people have been killed this year in bomb attacks and clashes. But bread and butter issues like unemployment have outweighed the issue of the violent insurgency. The alliance backed President Pervez Musharraf after the 2002 election, but turned against him in 2004 when he reneged on a promise to step down as army chief. Divided alliance: The alliance has now split over whether to boycott the January election. Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), the biggest Islamic party, is taking part in the election. It argued a boycott would only allow Musharraf to fill parliament with his allies. The smaller but better organised Jamaat-e-Islami is boycotting, saying that participating in the election would give legitimacy to Musharraf’s declaration of emergency and suspension of the constitution on Nov 3.
“There’s big disappointment with the MMA. They could not deliver on the promises they made,” said Rahimullah Yusufzai, a veteran newspaper editor and analyst based in Peshawar. The rise of the Islamists in 2002 was also partly attributed to the absence of popular politicians, including former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. Both of them are back and contesting the election. Sharif was close to religious conservatives during his two terms as prime minister in the 1990s and is likely to pick up a big chunk of conservative votes this time, analysts say. Sharif, unlike Bhutto, has not been raising the bogey of Islamic extremism in his party’s campaign. However, it was unlikely any party would win a landslide in NWFP or Balochistan. They may become part of a coalition, according to Yusufzai. The Islamists, whether part of a coalition or in opposition, are not expected to throw up any new hurdles to efforts to combat rising militancy. “Things appear to be under control as far as the war on terrorism is concerned. No one will dare challenge the military,” Yusufzai said. | |
| Posted by:Fred |