February 26, 2003	Wednesday	Zul Hijjah 24, 1423

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PESHAWAR, Feb 25: Dejected by the results of the Senate elections, central additional secretary-general of the PML-Q, Fazal Hussain has resigned from the basic membership of the party and has announced joining Jamaat Islami.

Speaking at a news conference here at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Fazal Hussain a PML-Q nominee for Senate election from NWFP, said that he had been deceived by the party MPAs, which had disappointed him. Mr Hussain got only one vote in the Senate election for which he thanked MPA Dr Semin Mehmood Jan.

“The party has awarded me ticket for Senate election in view of my 25-year-old association and services for the party. A letter issued by party secretary-general to the election commissioner on Feb 7, has indicated my name atop in the list of the party’s nominees, but I have been deceived by the MPAs”, said Mr Hussain.

He alleged that the independent candidates for Senate election, including commander Khalilur Rehman had hatched conspiracies to elect themselves. Nevertheless, the party high command had been in constant touch with me even the election day, giving me assurance about my election but money changed hands and I was defeated, said he, adding that it was because of his services of the party that had won him the office of additional secretary-general of the party.

Mr Hussain said that his defeat should serve as a tragedy for the party leadership. He also conceded that he was duly convinced that his party had deceived him and therefore he could go side by side with the party hijacked by conspirators and had decided to quit the party post and also basic membership of the party.

“My defeat is the defeat of the party and its leadership. Due to the conspirational politics of the PML’s leadership, I have decided to join Jamaat Islami as a worker”, said Mr Hussain, adding that he would abide by the disciplined and principled politics of the Jamaat Islami.

PML-Q REACTION: Taking exception to the resignation of the additional secretary-general of the party after his defeat in Senate election, the PML-Q parliamentary party has said that they had voted for the party nominees as directed by the central leadership of the party.

A press release issued on Tuesday, said that a meeting of PML-Q parliamentary party, which held here under its leader Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, expressed pleasure over the victory of party’s nominees in the Senate elections. The meeting congratulated the Senators-elect, commander Khalilur Rehman, Mrs Fauzia Fakhruzzaman and hoped both the leaders would serve the party like the past.

It also expressed concern over the resignation of PML-Q’s additional secretary-general Fazal Hussain and his joining of the Jamaat Islami after his defeat in the Senate polls.

The meeting was told that commander Khalil was the first nominees of the party and therefore the MPAs voted for him on general seats. Mr Hussain was never the nominee of the party, but he insisted that he needed only one party vote and the rest would be arranged by himself, the meeting was informed. So, he got one party vote and was unable to arrange others votes for himself.