Maulana Fazlur Rahman

NEW DELHI: Cutting across national barriers, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in Pakistan, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Jamiat's branch in Bangladesh will separately celebrate 150 years of the 1857 uprising against the British Raj in India, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI has said in an interview.

Talking to The Hindu on Wednesday night, the Maulana, who is also Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly, said there would be no joint celebrations between the branches of the Jamiat.

Mr. Rehman, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, told this correspondent, ``Nai nasal ko tarikh se aagah hona chahiye" (the new generation should be aware of our history).

It may be recalled that the parent Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, with its headquarters in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, had played a leading role in the Independence movement against British colonialists.

The Maulana, who assumed a major part in engineering the current thaw in India-Pakistan relations during a visit to New Delhi in July 2003, stated that there had been a sea change in ties since his trip four years ago.

``At the time, the High Commissions were being manned by stenographers, not a single transport link was functioning," he said in Urdu. ``No visas were being issued.'' Pointing to the low period in bilateral relations, he said that he travelled on a SAARC sticker.

Today, there were multiple transport links in place — even the Munabao rail route had been opened — the Maulana, who is more a politician than a religious leader, maintained. ``I played a major role in briefing the Pakistani leadership after meeting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the time," Mr. Rehman stated.

According to him, if the existing positive trends in India-Pakistan relations continued, then a solution of the Kashmir issue was certainly possible. However, the Maulana did not want to commit himself that a positive outcome would necessarily emerge, but stressed that he certainly wanted the Kashmir problem to be solved.

Turning to domestic issues, the JUI chief stated that his party did not want the existing national and provincial assemblies in Pakistan to re-elect General Pervez Musharraf as President. ``Unko vote nahin lena chahiye" (He should not seek a vote from the existing assemblies).

According to him, the JUI and other political parties in Pakistan would resist such a move. He felt that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader, Benazir Bhutto, was getting isolated as reports circulated about her striking a ``deal'' with Gen. Musharraf to return to Pakistan.

Mr. Rehman denied that the JUI and other groups in the Majlis Muttahida Amal (MMA) had legitimised the President-in-uniform when they supported a key constitutional amendment that legitimised Gen. Musharraf's position.

``The President had publicly announced that he would hang up his uniform by December 31, 2004. It is he who went back on his commitment," the Maulana said.

He added that the MMA wanted to end the Army's role in politics and its decision to extend tactical support to the General was to secure a time frame for the President to hang up his uniform.

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