PESHAWAR, March 31: The NWFP government has decided to summon an emergency session of the provincial assembly next week to induct its new MPAs in place of three lawmakers who have been expelled on charges of horse-trading in the Senate elections.

Sources told Dawn that the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), the main component of the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal, wanted to fill the three vacant seats (two women and a minority MPA) before the disposal of a constitutional petition filed by MPA Dildar Ahmed and others against their expulsion from the party and purported resignations from the assembly in the Peshawar High Court.

A three-member JUI inquiry committee, which held Dildar Ahmed, Rukhsana Raz, Yasmeen Khalid and Gursaranlal responsible for ditching MMA candidates on women’s (reserved) and general seats on Feb 6.

The MMA sent the names of Fauzia Naz and Saira Bano to the Election Commission of Pakistan for an early notification of the two nominees. On Friday, the Election Commission notified the names of both women. The JUI has also nominated Kishor Kumar on a minority seat, but his name could not be sent to the Election Commission for unspecified reasons.

NWFP Assembly Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan, who had accepted the resignations filed by the JUI probe committee, also got their hostel rooms vacated. The speaker didn’t waste time in taking action against the expelled MPAs. The government is planning to summon the session on April 2, a day before the court is scheduled to take up the MPAs’ petition for hearing.

The JUI leadership has, so far, failed to explain to the expelled MPAs and general public why their party had allotted Senate tickets to millionaires like Dr Shahina Jamil, Azam Khan Swati and Talha Mahmood, who were not JUI members.

Abdul Akbar Khan of People’s Party Parliamentarians told Dawn that Qari Abdullah Bangash of the JUI from Tal, Hangu district, was bound to give his second (priority) vote to PPP’s Farhatullah Baber, but Mr Bangash didn’t vote for him (Baber) and instead cast his second vote in favour of Ghufran Khan of PPP (Sherpao).

He alleged that the provincial government, Pakistan Muslim League-Q and PPP-S had struck an underhand deal against Mr Baber. He wanted to know why the JUI had been silent over the role of Qari Abdullah Bangash.

He said PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto would take action against two of her party’s MPAs who hadn’t voted for Mr Baber.