PESHAWAR, Nov 25: The Pakistan People’s Party has

finalised the list of candidates for four National and 11 provincial assembly seats of the Peshawar district and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, a major component of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, has fielded candidates without taking the Jamaat-i-Islami into confidence.

The PPP has nominated Syed Ayub Shah for NA-1 (Peshawar-I), Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan for NA-2 (Peshawar-II), Noor Alam Khan for NA-3 (Peshawar-III) and Azam Khan Afridi for NA-4 (Peshawar-IV).

It has nominated Abdul Akabar Khan for PF-1, Syed Zahir Shah for PF-2, Iqbal Mohmand for PF-3, Kifayatullah Orakzai for PF-4, Shakirullah for PF-5, Ashfaq Khalil for PF-6, Kramatullah Khan Chagarmati for PF-7, Tamash Khan for PF-8, Sharif Khan for PF-9, Farooq Shah for PF-10 and Misbahuddin for PF-11.

The PPP has given tickets to all MPAs whose term just ended and town and union council nazims — former Peshawar Nazim Azam Khan Afridi, sitting Town-II Nazim Sharif Khan, Town-III Nazim Shakirullah, and union council nazims Tamash Khan and Arbab Ashfaq.

According to Peshawar PPP president Israr Khan, the party had nominated Iftikhar Khan Jhagra for PF-9 but he had declined to contest the election and proposed the name of Sharif Khan for the seat.

Farooq Shah is the general secretary of the Peshawar PPP and Misbahuddin of the People’s Youth Organisation.

Syed Ayub Shah, president of PPP Peshawar division, is contesting against Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, senior vice-president of the Awami National Party.

The seat has been a bone of contention between the PPP and the ANP after the 1997 by-election, wherein Shabbir Bilour, son of Mr Bilour, was killed. But in the last general election, MMA’s Shabbir Ahmed Khan had defeated joint ANP-PPP candidate Usman Bilour.

Owing to religious wind blowing five years ago in the favour of the MMA, liberal political parties had failed to win considerable seats from Peshawar. Of the 11 provincial assembly seats, the PPP could win two and the ANP one.

Arbab Alamgir, son of former NWFP chief minister the late Arbab Jehangir Khan, had not been able to win NA-2, a stronghold of the Khalil clan.

The formation of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had proven a blessing in disguise for the Jamaat-i-Islami, which had been a target of the Deoband school of thought since its inception in 1940.

All prominent Deoband clerics had issued decrees against the JI and treated it like a separate religious sect but the launch of the MMA had silenced orthodox JUI leaders and workers.

This time, the JUI (F) has nominated candidates for all seats without making an adjustment with the Jamaat, which had won majority seats from Peshawar in the 2002 election. The JI still hopes that a seat adjustment with the JUI is possible.

If the JUI parts its ways with the JI and the ANP does not strike a deal with the

PPP, the Jamaat is likely to go for a seat adjustment with the ANP.