Nazriyati group ‘to merge into JUI-F’

PESHAWAR: The Jamiat Ulema Islam-Nazriyati headed by former Member of National Assembly (MNA) Maulana Asmatullah is likely to merge into Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
The two-day meeting of the central executive council of JUI-F, which began on Saturday, approved the merger.
The JUI-F members from all over Pakistan attended the meeting to discuss organisational matters and party stance on national and international issues.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman chaired the day-long session.
Later, he briefed reporters about the decisions taken at the party’s central executive council.
However, some sources told The News that the party’s central executive council had almost approved the merger of JUI-Nazriyati into the mainstream JUI-F during its first session.
Talking to The News, JUI-F provincial General Secretary Maulana Shujaul Mulk said that leaders of both factions of JUI had already met and formed separate committees for finalizing the merger.
He said final decision in this regard would be taken by Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
He said that besides organisational matters, the members of the central executive council would discuss and firm-up the JUI-F policies on the prevailing political situation in the country and other national and international issues.
It may be added that a group of JUI-F activists led by Maulana Asmatullah and Maulana Noor Mohammad in Balochistan had quit the party due to differences with its leadership on a host of issues and launched the splinter JUI-Nazriati faction. It had won a few assembly seats also and its head Maulana Asmatullah had defeated the JUI-F Balochistan head Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani in the election for the National Assembly from Zhob district.