PESHAWAR, Oct 15: The Jamaat-i-Islami, a component of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, has accelerated its efforts to capture the coveted post of provincial chief minister after a stunning electoral victory of the MMA in the NWFP.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F), the main victorious component of the MMA, is still silent over the issue. “The MMA central body has the right to decide about such issues,” JUI(F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman told newsmen at a news conference here on Monday.

Some of the local newspapers, however, have tipped Akram Khan Durrani of the JUI(F) as the future chief minister of the province. Mr Durrani, who does not sport beard, is an old parliamentarian. He won the provincial assembly seat twice from Bannu.

Jamaat supporters say the MMA should form a JI-led government in the province, arguing that it will be unfair to allow the JUI(F) to form both the provincial governments in the NWFP and Balochistan. Being a component of the MMA, they maintain, the JI be allowed to form the NWFP government. On the other hand, JUI supporters do not offer any comments and accuse press of creating misunderstanding among the MMA components.

The vernacular press and local Urdu news agencies predict that Sirajul Haq Khan Yousufzai, JI provincial general secretary, will be the next chief minister of the province. The JI leaders prefer not to touch the thorny issue at the moment.

Political observers say that if the JUI and JI fail to settle the issue amicably, it will weaken the MMA stand on other issues, which include restoration of 1973 Constitution, introduction of interest-free economy, freedom from US hegemony and supremacy of the new parliament, and will help President Pervez Musharraf to continue with his controlled-democracy agenda.

The MMA leaders, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Samiul Haq — all hailing from the NWFP — pledged with the people at their election rallies that they would wind up the US bases in Pakistan and revamp the foreign policy.

The JUI has emerged as a single largest party in Balochistan and the NWFP. It bagged more national and provincial assembly seats than that of its allies in the MMA. In Balochistan, only the JUI is in a position to form a coalition government. The other MMA members, JI, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Islami Tehreek Pakistan, Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith and Tehrik-i-Jaafria Pakistan failed to secure any seat in Balochistan.

The JUI leaders claim that eight out of 13 independent MPAs have joined their party. Now its total strength in the house has shot up to 35. So far, only one independent, Raja Faisal Zaman, son of a former caretaker chief minister Raja Sikandar Zaman, has joined the Jamaat-i-Islami whose strength has risen to 21.

The MMA leadership, which took to the streets after Sept 11 in support of Taliban and denounced the US bombing of Afghanistan, is trying to restore its moderate image. The people voted them on certain conditions that they would translate their manifesto in deeds and give a good government to the nation.