Archives

KARACHI, Friday (AFP) Pakistan's Islamist alliance said Friday it had allied with former premier Benazir Bhutto's party in the southern province of Sindh to challenge a coalition headed by supporters of President Pervez Musharraf.

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of religious parties, which made major gains in October polls, said it had joined forces with Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the largest single bloc in the Sindh assembly, and would contest together Monday for the province's top post of chief minister.

"We have decided to support the PPP after the two agreed on certain principles," MMA chief Shah Ahmad Noorani told AFP. He said those details would be announced soon.

The PPP is the party of 67 of the 162 legislators sworn in Thursday in Sindh, the self-exiled Bhutto's home province. The MMA has 10. Together, that is still eight short of forming a government.

The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) says it can form a coalition with the ethnic-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and smaller factions, cobbling together 85 seats.

Under the agreement Friday, the MMA would vote for the candidates of Bhutto's PPP for chief minister and speaker of the assembly, while the Islamists would get the deputy speakership.

If its coalition with the PPP works in Sindh, the MMA would be in power in all of Pakistan's provinces except the largest, Punjab.

The MMA, which includes supporters of the Taliban, rules the North West Frontier Province and is in a coalition in Baluchistan with the pro-Musharraf PML-Q.

The MMA has called for the enforcement of Islamic Sharia law and withdrawal of any US forces based in Pakistan as part of a fight against international terrorism.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager