PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami provincial chief Professor Ibrahim Khan on Tuesday said the ruling and opposition parties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly were considering fielding joint candidates for Senate elections to discourage horse trading.

Addressing a news conference here at the party’s provincial secretariat, Professor Ibrahim said central general secretary of his party Liaquat Baloch met Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in Peshawar on Monday and discussed the strategy for the March 3 Senate polls.

Also read: PTI announces decision to run for Senate

The JI, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan are coalition partners in the provincial government.

The JI with eight MPAs in the provincial assembly will depend on other parties to secure one seat in the Senate.

The JI leader said treasury and opposition parties would have to make a joint strategy for the Senate elections and that a proposal was under consideration to elect candidates unopposed. He said fielding joint candidates for Senate polls would discourage horse trading and use of money.

Professor Ibrahim said his party would soon form a parliamentary committee to decide about the award of ticket for the Senate elections.

There are reports that the JI is likely to field its chief, Sirajul Haq, for the Senate elections.

Sirajul Haq is currently a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

KP treasury, opposition mulling joint candidates for Senate polls

Professor Ibrahim said the JI and the PTI would jointly contest local body elections in the province, which were expected to take place in coming April.

He said consultation between the two parties at the district level was in progress and that the future line of action would be announced very soon.

The JI leader alleged that the US patronised Islamic State’s elements in Middle East.

“There are reports that the US created Islamic State and the war against the group is being fought under the US supervision,” he said.

Professor Ibrahim demanded the arrest of the people behind the Army Public School Peshawar massacre for exemplary punishment.

On the occasion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz general secretary in Charsadda district Malik Sajjad Ali along with other leaders of his party announced they had joined the JI.

Published in Dawn February 4th , 2015

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