18 December 2004	Saturday	05 Ziqa'ad 1425

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PESHAWAR, Dec 17: Minister of State for Water and Power Amir Muqam Khan has accused the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal of misusing provincial administrative machinery and Zakat funds to 'influence' the people of Malakand agency during its campaign for by-election.

Speaking at a press conference at the Wapda House here on Friday, Mr Khan said that the MMA misused Zakat funds to win support of voters. He also accused the alliance of employing resources of the provincial government to run Bakhtiar Maani's election campaign.

Mr Muqam, who had spearheaded the election campaign of PML candidate, Salim Saifullah, said that the MMA should not celebrate the victory of Mr Maani because the results had shown that the popularity of the alliance was declining.

He said that the MMA had secured more than 38,000 votes in 2002 elections whereas its candidate polled 33,000 this time despite the fact that Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, which enjoyed strong support in the area, was also supporting the MMA.

He also accused the MMA of using unfair means on the polling day. In this respect, he claimed that he personally saw the presiding officer at polling station number 202 casting bogus votes in favour of the MMA candidate.

Mr Muqam rejected the suggestion that he should resign because of Mr Saifullah's defeat. "Why should I resign? The party has done quite well," he claimed. Though the PML's candidate lost, he added, the results showed that the party had developed roots in the area.

Replying to a question, he rejected the idea that the MMA's victory was an endorsement of its policies by the people of Malakand agency. He also denied the allegation that the federal government had used state machinery in the area in an attempt to lure voters.