24 November 2004	Wednesday	11 Shawwal 1425

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PESHAWAR, Nov 23: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (S), a party in the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, has challenged the status of Qazi Hussain Ahmed as the acting head of the alliance.

"We don't accept him as the acting chief because his appointment has not been endorsed by the alliance's supreme council and that's why have made a case against him before the Election Commission," said Yousuf Shah, general secretary of the NWFP chapter of the JUI-S.

Mr Shah, a close aide to party chief Maulana Samiul Haq, said the party had objected on Monday to his (Qazi Hussain's) status before the returning officer appointed to conduct by-elections to NA-35 in Malakand.

Similarly, according to him, the matter had also been raised before the Election Commission of Pakistan. "Our party leaders visited the Election Commission in Islamabad to challenge his authority for seeking the election symbol of book for JI's candidate contesting the NA-35 by-elections," Mr Shah added.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, senior vice-president of the NWFP chapter of JUI-S, when contacted, said his party disputed Qazi Hussain's authority as the acting head of the MMA at the time of seeking the election symbol of book for the JUI-S candidate Shah Nawaz advocate who is also contesting elections from the same constituency.

According to him, the JUI-S adopted the stand before the returning officer that its candidate Shah Nawaz advocate should be issued the symbol of book - which had been allotted to the MMA in the Oct 2002 elections - as the candidate had been nominated by MMA's senior vice-president Maulana Samiul Haq. "But our request was rejected on Monday on the pretext that a request for the same symbol had already been made by MMA's acting chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed," Hafiz Hussain said.

JUI-S candidate Shah Nawaz advocate is vying against Bakhtiar Moani, who has been jointly nominated by the JI and the JUI (Fazl) as the MMA candidate for NA-35. The seat has fallen vacant following the death of Maulana Inayatur Rehman, who returned to the assembly from this constituency.

"When we disputed Qazi Hussain Ahmed's appointment as the acting chief of the MMA, the returning officer asked us to raise the matter with the Election Commission of Pakistan," Hafiz Hussain Ahmed added.

Talking to Dawn, Yousuf Shah said: "We have also objected to his status before the Election Commission in Islamabad on Tuesday." Turning down their request for the symbol of book, the returning officer awarded the same to Bakhtiar Moani, said Hafiz Hussain. The JUI-S candidate was awarded the symbol of 'telephone', he added.

Meanwhile, according to Yousuf Shah, a meeting of the executive council of the NWFP-chapter of the JUI-S has been convened on Nov 29. The meeting, to be presided over by party's provincial chief Qazi Abdul Latif, will discuss the strategy for the forthcoming by-election scheduled for Dec 15.