26 February 2004	Thursday	05 Muharram 1425

PESHAWAR, Feb 25: The lone Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (Noorani) member of the NWFP Assembly has withdrawn his application for allotment of a separate seat in the house.

The application was submitted to Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan after the JUP-N announced it was parting ways with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal last month. The party had requested the speaker to allocate a separate seat to its MPA Akhtar Nawaz Khan.

NWFP JUP-N chief Owais Ahmad Qadri said a meeting of the party's provincial shoora and general council had been convened on Feb 29 to discuss the situation. The MPA said in a statement that his voters had pressured him to maintain good relations with the provincial government and get funds for development schemes in his constituency.

Mr Qadri said that Mr Khan, who had joined the JUP-N after being elected as an independent candidate, had breached the party decision by withdrawinghis application without taking the shoora into confidence. He said the party shoora and general council would decide whether to expel him from the JUP-N.