May 4, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1427

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HARIPUR, May 3: Raja Faisal Zaman, provincial minister for sports and culture, who was sacked by Jamaat-i-Islami as member of the NWFP Assembly on Tuesday, has denied charges of violating the party line during the Senate polls and said he had not tendered resignation either from the assembly or the cabinet.

Talking to Dawn on telephone here on Wednesday, he termed the charge of horse-trading a conspiracy. “It’s a conspiracy to politically defame me and my family and I would contest it in the court of law,” he claimed.

He said certain elements in the party had singled him out without any rhyme or reason and accused him of selling his vote in the Senate election. “Someone from the remaining 16 JI MPAs might have used his or her vote against the party but the probe committee held me responsible,” he added.

He said that his family was quite rich and had owned 84 villages in the Khanpur area. It had never been involved in such dirty practices.

Raja Faisal Zaman, the youngest son of former chief minister Raja Sikandar Zaman, had won the 2002 general election as an independent candidate from PF-49. Later he joined the JI and was a made provincial minister.

During his stint as minister he got approved a number of schools, playgrounds and other development projects for his constituency.

Peshawar bureau adds: Expelled JI MPA Malik Hayat Khan here on Wednesday swore by the Holy Quran that he did not sell his vote in the Senate elections.

Mr Khan placed both hands on the Holy Book at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club and said that he was still loyal to the party and charges levelled against him by the probe committee were baseless.

Reposing full confidence in the JI leadership, he said that he would challenge the decision of the committee in the Peshawar High Court.

He said it was a plot hatched by a secret agency and hostile political rivals.

He appealed to the party’s provincial Majlis-e-Shura to reconsider decision of the committee.