LAKKI MARWAT: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl faced a major setback on Sunday as its key leader Barrister Sher Afzal Khan Marwat announced to quit the party after a jirga of thousands of people accorded their consent in favour of his decision.

The jirga was convened by Mr Marwat to seek approval of the area elders and people for important decisions concerning the provincial assembly seat in view of next general elections. Elders from different union councils of PK-76 attended the meeting.

The people raised their hands in favour of severing ties with the religious party when Mr Marwat asked them whether he should remain in JUI-F or quit it. People also authorised him to decide himself about joining any other political party or forging alliance with local groups for coming elections.

Speaking at the jirga, Mr Marwat claimed that after joining JUI-F in 2008 his family and supporters fully backed and guided it to clean sweep 2013 general elections in the district.

Afzal Marwat says the party ignored uplift of PK-76

He said that in response his supporters and voters faced deprivations. He said that he brought the problems of the local people into the notice of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman several times, but to no avail.

On this occasion, district councillor Salahuddin said that the leaders of JUI-F did not fulfil promises they made with the residents of Lakki Marwat district in general and voters of PK-76 in particular.

“In the last general elections we supported JUI-F candidate for PK-76 Munawar Khan, but he ignored the areas of Achukhel and Begu tribes in uplift works,” he said. He alleged that the family of Munawar Khan had entered the politics for his business gains instead of serving people.

Another elder Haji Shamal Khan said that the residents had tried the religious party several times, but their hopes of seeing development in their areas were dashed each time.

Waheed Aslam, a district councillor from Begukhel, said that the JUI-F leaders had deceived Sher Afzal group in the local body polls in 2015 when Salahuddin was fielded as its candidate for the post of district nazim.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2017