JUI-F may get two ministries

ISLAMABAD: The JUI-F’s strategy to delay till last minute its decision to support PML-N’s nominee Mamnoon Hussain in the presidential election is going to pay it with two posts in the federal cabinet, Dawn has learnt. Although the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F officially denies having any “underhand deal” with the ruling PML-N, sources in the two parties said the PML-N had agreed to offer two ministries to the religious party as a reward for its support. Talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that his party had extended “unconditional support” to Mr Hussain and the issue of cabinet positions had not been discussed. But later in a statement issued in the evening, he said: “The party will submit the names for the cabinet at an appropriate time.” Justifying the delay in decision to support Mr Hussain, the Maulana said his party only wanted to register its reservations over the “ruling party’s attitude” of not taking its allies into confidence on issues of national importance. The sources in the two parties said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the Maulana to propose two names from his party for the federal cabinet. They said the JUI-F had been offered the ministry of communications while negotiations were pending on the second ministry. The JUI-F is also expected to get the chairmanships of some important standing committees. A source in the party said Maulana Fazl had already nominated former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Akram Durrani for one of the cabinet slots while the other name was being finalised. Meanwhile, in a statement issued by JUI-F spokesman Jan Achakzai on Tuesday evening, the Maulana denied that his party had struck any deal with the PML-N and said it had complained to the PML-N that it had been kept in the dark on a number of important issues like the prime minister’s visit to China, sharing of intelligence briefing on security matters and the ruling party’s recent understanding with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. The JUI-F chief said his party was unhappy over the PML-N’s decision to nominate Mr Hussain without consulting it. The JUI-F actually wanted to warn the PML-N of the situation in Balochistan where the chief minister had failed to even constitute his cabinet for two months, the Maulana said. As far as the federal cabinet is concerned, he added, the JUI-F was not in a hurry and would submit its names at an appropriate time. He also said the JUI-F and the PML-N had an agreement on priorities and both parties would strive to ensure their implementation through policies of the government. He also congratulated president-elect Mamnoon Hussain and expressed the hope that he would be a “neutral president”. The JUI-F had previously supported the PML-N in the elections for the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly and the prime minister. MQM: Talking to reporters after casting his vote, MQM’s parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar said his party would support every positive and good decision of the PML-N government while remaining in the opposition. He said the MQM had extended unconditional support for Mamnoon Hussain after he visited the party’s headquarters in Karachi. The doors of “Nine Zero” are open to everyone, he added. Mr Sattar said the office of the president represented the federation and, therefore, it should not be made controversial. He stressed the need for devising a “national anti-terror policy”.