December 19, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 8, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: A majority of the members - 22 out of 35 - who represented the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in the previous National Assembly are not in the race for Jan 8 election due to a split in the erstwhile ruling Muttahida Majlis-i- Alliance (MMA) on the boycott issue.

The final list of the candidates released by the Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday shows that all those MNAs of the previous assembly who are not contesting the election belong to the MMA.

As many as 11 former MNAs belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), including its chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, and two from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) are not in the race due to the decision of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) to boycott the polls on the issue of the restoration of sacked judges whereas the JUI-F of Maulana Fazlur Rehman has replaced its nine previous MNAs with new faces.

Prominent among those who were the members of the 2002 assembly and are again contesting the Jan 8 election included former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao (NA-8 Charsadda II), former minister for petroleum and natural resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon (NA-17 Abbottabad I), former deputy speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqub (NA-18 Abbottabad II), former minister of state for finance Omar Ayub Khan (NA-19 Haripur), former opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and former minister for political affairs Engineer Amir Muqam (NA-4 Peshawar IV and NA-31 Shangla).

The former members of the 2002 assembly who are not contesting the election this time due to the boycott of the polls are Shabbir Ahmed Khan (NA-1 Peshawar I); Sabir Hussain Awan (NA-4 Peshawar IV); Qazi Hussain Ahmed (NA-5 Nowshera I); Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani (NA-6 Nowshera II); Maulana Attaur Reh-

man (NA-11 Mardan III); Mohammad Usman (NA-12 Swabi I); Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz (NA-15 Karak); Maulana Abdul Malik (NA-21 Mansehra II); Fazle Subhan (NA-30 Swat II); Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali (NA-32 Chitral); Maulana Asadullah (NA-33 Upper Dir), Ahmed Ghafoor (NA-34 Lower Dir) and Syed Bakhtiar Maani (NA-35 Malakand).

The former members of the JUI-F who have not been awarded party tickets this time are Qari Fayyazur Rehman (NA-3 Peshawar III); Maulana Mohammad Gohar Shah (NA-7 Charsadda I); Maulana Khalil Ahmed (NA-13 Swabi II); Mufti Ibrar Sultan (NA-14 Kohat); Akhunzada Mohammad Sadiq (NA-16 Hangu); Maulana Abdul Haleem (NA-23 Kohistan); Maulana Amanullah Khan (NA-27 Lakki Marwat) and Qari Abdul Baees Siddiqui (NA-29 Swat I).