Pervez Musharraf alliance breaks apart before its formation

Islamabad: Only a day after former Pakistan military ruler Pervez Musharraf announced to form a grand political alliance to contest the 2018 polls, the potential allies have called it quits.

Several parties have dissociated themselves from the proposed Awami Ittehad alliance only a day after the announcement of its formation.

Pakistan Awami Tehrik was the first to distance from the Awami Ittehad. Soon afterwards, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) also denied being part of the alliance.

MWM spokesman Allama Mukhtar Imami said his party had not decided to join any alliance.

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza also clarified that his party’s alliance with Awami Ittehad was not meant for the election.

He said the election politics will be done from the platform of grand alliance of Ahl-e-Sunnat parties — the Nizam-e-Mustafa Muttahida Mahaz. He asked the Punjab government to stop arresting Ulema Ahl-e-Sunnat on the pretext of Islamabad sit-in.

More than a dozen parties among 23, earlier claimed to be members of Awami Ittehad. Most of them were unpopular with insignificant vote bank.