KARAK: Exposing differences within the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Karak chapter, the Jamaat-i-Islami on Monday announced support for JUI-F dissident and independent candidate Javed Iqbal Khattak in PK-85, Karak-I. The JI and JUI-F are major members of the religio-political alliance.

JI parliamentary committee member Maulana Mehboob Janan and district vice-presidents Hakeem Shah and Azam Humayun made the announcement during a news conference in Mithakhel area here with Javed Iqbal.

All union council presidents of the JI were also present on the occasion.

The JI leaders said the MMA district parliamentary committee had recommended retired Col Mohammad Khan of the party and Javed Iqbal Khattak to the alliance’s provincial parliamentary committee for the award of election ticket in PK-85. They added that the two names were forwarded to the MMA’s central committee but JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani got the name of Mian Nisar Gul included in the list.

The JI leaders said they won’t accept the move as Mian Nisar had ruled PK-85 for 10 years and had committed massive corruption as MPA. They claimed that Javed Iqbal was an honest man and therefore, the JI supported its candidature.

The JI leaders alleged that former CM Pervez Khattak had used the hefty royalty funds of Karak district in his native district, Nowshera, for five years but PK-85 MPA Gul Sahib Khan and adviser to the chief minister Malik Qasim Khan kept quiet to serve own political ends.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2018