LAHORE -  JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said the politics of protests will affect the CPEC project in a big way.

Taking to journalists at Jamia Madina (a religious seminary), Karim Park, here yesterday, he said the country could no more afford sit-ins and agitations in the present circumstances.

Earlier, the head of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam headed his party’s core committee meeting in Lahore to devise the election strategy in the light of the formation of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a conglomerate of five religious organisations recently revived to contest next general elections jointly. Although the revival of the MMA was announced at Jamaat-e-Islami head office, Mansoara, on November 9, a committee of the parties which were part of the alliance was made to discuss the possibilities of inclusion of more groups in it. The next meeting of the MMA will be held at residence of Shah Awais Noorani, JUP-Imam Noorani secretary general, in Karachi in the last week of December.

Besides JUI-F and JI, Pir Ijaz Hashmi’s JUP-Imam Noorani (a Barelvi group), Professor Sajid Mir’s Markzi Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Islami Tehreek (Shia organisation) of Allama Sajid Naqvi and JUI-S of Maulana Samiul Haq were the part of the MMA. However, Maulana Sami left the alliance just two weeks after the formation of the alliance.

Maulana Fazl said Maulana Sami’s departure from the MMA would not cause any loss to the alliance. “What we can do if Maulana Sami is not ready to accept our respect to him,” he said when a reporter asked him how he saw the future of the MMA after the separation of JUI-S from it.

Maulana Fazl said politics on Khatm-e-Nabuwat (finality of the prophethood) issue was not a good omen for the country as the matter had already been settled in the parliament.

To a question, he said the meeting between Zardari and Qadri had surprised him. “I wonder what kind of helplessness forced the PPP co-chairman to meet Qadri.” However, he said the political parties were making these moves in connection with preparations for the next elections.

The JUI-F leader predicted the future of the PTI chairman was bleak, saying Imran Khan’s party would just act as a pressure group in the next elections. According to him, PTI will disappear from the country’s political scenario soon after the next general elections. The JUI-F chief condemned the US president’s announcement to accept Jerusalem as Israeli capital and said the move had put the Muslim world, especially Middle East, into another crisis.