PESHAWAR, Oct 11: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani is likely to give up his boycott and attend the National Security Council meeting on Wednesday, highly placed sources told Dawn.

The source said Mr Durrani had made up his mind to attend the NSC meeting against the backdrop of the catastrophic earthquake that had left a vast stretch of area in the northern districts of NWFP devastated.

“He will be representing the NWFP in the NSC meeting and plead the province’s case for more funds and assistance”, the source said.

The chief minister, who is in Islamabad, was not available for comments.

Another source said Mr Durrani was due to meet his kitchen cabinet later on Tuesday to discuss the situation and seek their consent.

“I think its good for the province”, the source remarked while commenting on Mr Durrani’s likely presence at the NSC meeting.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal through legislation in April 2004, had been sharply divided over whether to allow leader of the opposition, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the chief minister to attend it.

The Jamaat-I-Islami has been opposing tooth and nail any decision to attend the NSC meeting. Its chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad had gone so far as threatening to resign from the MMA office if it voted in majority to support the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam contention to allow Fazlur Rehman and Mr Durrani to attend the consultative forum chaired by President Pervez Musharraf.

Maulana Fazl on his part has been going along with the hard- line taken by Qazi Hussain to avoid taking a firm stand on an issue that may lead to the break up of the MMA.