PESHAWAR, April 28: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl) and Jamaat-i-Islami, two major components of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, hold divergent views about the future of MPA Pir Mohammad Khan who was recently expelled from the JI. Leaders of the NWFP chapters of the JUI-F and JI appear sharply divided on the MPA’s future in the MMA.

Pir Mohammad, a JI veteran, was expelled from the party after he filed nomination papers for a vacant seat of the Senate against the MMA’s joint candidate, Qari Abdullah of the JUI-F.

The Senate seat had fallen vacant after its deputy chairman Commander Khalil-ur-Rehman was appointed the governor of the NWFP last month.

Though Pir Mohammad withdrew his candidature one day ahead of the by-election which was held on April 19, the provincial executive council of the JI did not withdraw its decision of expelling him from its fold.

While the JI leaders, when contacted, said that the MPA had been expelled from the party, the JUI-F leaders insisted that he was still a member of the MMA.

Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, Secretary-General of the NWFP chapter of the JI, said: “The decision (of expelling Pir Mohammad) stands unchanged even though he did not contest the by-election.”

He said that the JI council did not have any intention to reconsider the decision and added that it could be reviewed only if the dissident MPA tendered public apology for his attitude over the past two and half years during which he had acted against party interest on numerous occasions.

Similar views were expressed by Hakeem Abdul Waheed, Naib Amir of the NWFP chapter of JI, who said that the decision could be reconsidered only if the MPA filed an appeal with the JI’s provincial executive council.

However, the MPA refused to acknowledge that he had been expelled from the JI.

“I am still a member of Maulana Maudoodi’s Jamaat Islami (a reference to the party founder), hence, there is no reason to appeal to any one for reconsidering my expulsion,” he said.

He added that he had attended the Provincial Assembly’s recent session as a member of the treasury benches which indicated that his JI’s membership was still intact.

Mufti Kifayatullah, a spokesman for the MMA in the NWFP said: “He got elected to the NWFP Assembly on the MMA’s ticket and not as a JI candidate. Therefore, his expulsion from his parent party does not mean that he is also out of the MMA.”

He said that after Pir Mohammad withdrew his candidature in favour of the MMA’s candidate, there was no justification for continuing with the disciplinary action against him.

Haji Jalil Jan, Information Secretary of JUI-F, NWFP, expressed similar views.

On the other hand, the JI leaders appeared adamant on the issue and rejected the stand adopted by the JUI-F leaders.

“He has been expelled from the JI and not from the JUI-F, so, it is up to us to cancel the decision of his expulsion or not,” said Mushtaq.

Hakeem Abdul Waheed also said that his expulsion was an internal matter of the JI and it had got nothing to do with the JUI-F.