Islamabad, Aug 27 : Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has gained bargaining power vis-à-vis the PPP by criticizing its Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari ahead of September 6 presidential poll, has reportedly demanded of the PPP-led federal coalition government to revive Friday as weekly holiday instead of Sunday.

Fridays were declared as weekly holiday by PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to appease the religious dominated PNA movement of 1977, but it was later reversed to Sundays by the Nawaz Sharif government in late 1990s.

The JUI has convened its central working committee meeting here today to discuss and finalize its strategy to support Zardari for the office of president. The JUI-F, which had earlier indicated its support to Zardari’s candidature for the presidency, had sent a wish list to the Zardari house for acceptance preferably before the presidential elections on September 6, the Dawn quoted sources as saying.

The wish list also demanded an immediate stoppage of the ongoing military operation in the tribal areas, and most importantly to redeem the promises Zardari had made with the JUI-F leaders on various occasions.

The party leadership has expressed serious doubts about the promises that Zardari had so far made after he went back from two written accords with PML-N, added the sources.

The JUI-F, the sources said, had been assured by the PPP two more ministries as per the power sharing formula already set. The party had already decided to allot one ministry to Maulana Attaur Rehman, the younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while there was a tie between Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri and Maulana Naseeb Gul on the other. (ANI)