Daily Times

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a coalition of the religious right, unveiled its list of candidates contesting for Karachi-based seats in the national and provincial assemblies on Sunday.

Liaquat Baloch, the secretary general of MMA, announced the candidates for 21 National Assembly seats and 44 Sindh Assembly seats.

Asadullah Bhutto, Maulana Noorul Haq, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Dr Mairajul Huda and Hafiz Hamdullah Haqqani were some of the main candidates on the list.

“Karachi and its people want good leadership,” said Hafiz Naeemur Rehman. “MMA will provide that leadership,” he continued.

He said that the MMA would organise a rally in Peshawar on Sunday. He added that on June 28, an ulema convention in Karachi will follow the rally on Peshawar. Naeemur Rehman said that another rally was scheduled for Multan on June 29. He added that the “biggest rally” in Karachi’s history will happen on July 8.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazl, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees and Islami Tehrik Pakistan formed a coalition to contest the election under one banner. They termed it the revival of the MMA. Their election symbol is a book.

On March 20 this year, they held their ‘revival’ meeting at Allama Kaukab Noorani’s residence in Karachi. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Liaquat Baloch and Shah Owais Noorani were made president, secretary-general and information secretary, respectively.

The MMA was originally formed in 2002. Its candidates won 63 out of 342 National Assembly seats in the 2002 elections. They also formed the provincial government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that year. The coalition disintegrated in 2007 after disputes.

Published in Daily Times, June 25^th 2018.