MARDAN, August 1: Chairman of JUI district coordination committee Shujaul Mulk, MNA, has said that his party wanted an alliance with the Jamaat-i-Islami but the latter was showing reluctance in this behalf. Talking to newsmen here on Monday, he said the JUI-F’s first priority was to contest elections from the MMA platform and the party high-ups had issued directives that an electoral alliance be formed with the JI, but the latter was not showing willingness to do so.

He said that the JUI-F tried to contact the JI but they did not take the pain to contact us for making an alliance. Although seat adjustment in certain UCs had been agreed, no such arrangement had been worked out at the district level, he added. He, however, rejected out of hand any possibility of the JUI-F making an alliance with the JUI-S. He claimed that more than a dozen female councillors and minorities had been elected unopposed on the ticket of the Islam Dost group, “which proves our popularity in the masses”.

He said the JUI-F had fielded 73 panels in 75 union councils of the district. Care had been taken in the selection of candidates, he added. Mr Shujaul Mulk is expected to be a JUI-F candidate for the post of district nazim, a slot for which the JI has also set its sights on. Analysts say this could be the reason for the latter not opting for an alliance with the JUI-F.