LAHORE, May 13: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is likely to help the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) form government in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

A source in the JI says the JI-PTI alliance will help both parties run the provincial government in a better way and fight terrorism in the restive province.

“Since the PTI is a new party in the KP, it has no experience of running the provincial government, especially in the terror-hit province. On the other hand, the JI is the party, which has already run the provincial government under the banner of the now defunct Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) from 2002 to 2008. So the PTI provincial leadership believes that involving the JI in the government formation process will help it maintain peace through talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),” the source told Dawn on Monday.

He said since the PTI and the JI had a hard stance on the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leadership, the two parties wanted to counter it well in future if it succeeded in forming the provincial government. “The PTI can make the government in KP with our and independent candidates’ help. That is why the PTI has contacted us and sought our support. The JI consultative body will take a decision in this regard soon,” he said.

The source said if the JI provincial body decided to do so, it would immediately send its recommendations to party’s central office in Lahore and JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan would take the final decision in consultation with senior party leaders.

JI secretary general Liaquat Baloch told Dawn that PTI’s KP chapter head held a meeting with his party leadership in the province to discuss the alliance. “Since we respect and accept PTI’s mandate in the KP wholeheartedly, we think it should be morally supported and given a chance to form government in the province,” he added.

About support to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to form government in the Centre, he said his party would think about it if Nawaz Sharif contacted the JI leadership on this issue.