January 23, 2003	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 19, 1423

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MANSEHRA, Jan 22: Differences have made way into the ranks of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal over the distribution of tickets for the Senate election.

The breach in the relations widened during the visit of the NWFP Chief Minister, Akram Durrani, to Mansehra on Jan 19.

The local leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI-S and JUI-F seem alienated from each other.

The cleavage first emerged after the Oct 10 general elections when some of the JUI-F leaders started lobbying for awarding the MMA ticket for the Senate election to the former district Nazim of Mansehra, Mohammed Azam Khan Swati.

Mufti Kifayatullah of the JUI-F, who was defeated by the former provincial minister, Shazada Mohammed Gustasap Khan, on PF-55, Mansehra-III seat in Oct 10 elections had been at the forefront in his support for Mr Swati.

Some of the MMA leaders accused Mr Kifayatullah of having been lured by the wealth of Mr Swati brought him to the JUI-F folds.

Besides the JI and the JUI-S leaders, most of the JUI-F workers also hold Mr Swati responsible for the defeat of the MMA candidates in the district.

They were also of the view that Mr Swati had been using objectionable language against the Ulema and the religio- political alliance during the sessions of the district council, especially on the occasion of the presidential referendum.

They argued that it was hard to fathom that Mr Kifayatullah was putting his weight behind Mr Swati who himself had been branding the former Nazim as an agent of the US and Jewish lobby at public meetings.

The JI and the JUI-S local leaders were annoyed with the JUI- F leaders and blamed the JUI-F that it made solo flight in making arrangements for the tour of the chief minister to Mansehra.

They said that the entire programme was arranged with taking into confidence the component parties of the MMA.

The JI district chief, Dr Tariq Sherazi, its senior leader Shaukat Ali Khan, Maulana Syed Ghulam Nabbi Shah of the JUI-F and a number of prominent figures from both the factions of the JUI did not attend any programme of the chief minister.

The disgruntled elements in the JUI-F hold that Mr Swati was responsible for the defeat of their spiritual leader Maulana Syed Ghulam Nabbi Shah and they would not tolerate his presence in any programme of the MMA or the JUI-F.

They expressed their resolve not to attend any programme to which Mr Swati would be invited.

The political observers here opined that if the MMA top brass did not make serious efforts for reconciliation, not only the religio-political alliance but the JUI-F itself would be at the receiving end.