ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: In the wake of a serious row over the nomination of Syed Ali Shah as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League's NWFP president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the party chief, is likely to replace him with someone acceptable to the Salim Saifullah Khan group, sources told Dawn on Thursday.

Well-placed sources said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was also informed about the feud over the nomination during his recent visit to Peshawar and that he made a mention of this issue in Wednesday's cabinet meeting as well.

According to the sources, all efforts to persuade the strong group led by Salim Saifullah Khan and Lala Nisar Muhammad Khan in the party to accept Mr Shah as provincial president have failed and Mr Shujaat is likely to announce a decision anytime soon to end internal bickering.

The party's top brass has taken a serious note of the provincial organisation's indecision about nominating a suitable candidate against the MMA in the by-election on NA-35, a seat which fell vacant as a result of Maulana Inayatur Rahman's death.

Syed Ali Shah, nominated as provincial party president a couple of months back, is said to have failed to muster sufficient support in the rank and file to justify his appointment.

A senior party leader from the NWFP said on condition of anonymity that the differences between the Saifullah and the Shah groups were so deep there appeared no solution except Mr Shah's removal.

"The people are openly protesting against the unjustified nomination of a person who is physically handicapped and unable to run the party affairs effectively," said the party leader.

Asked whether there was any chance of Salim Saifullah Khan himself being nominated as NWFP chapter chief, the source said he had declined such an offer on the grounds that it would be inappropriate for him to take up an office he had occupied for years before being elevated as the party's secretary-general.

When quizzed whether the whole provincial organisation will have to be replaced with the change of president, the source said: "There was no such need since the majority had no objection against other office-bearers, including provincial general secretary, Wajihuzzaman."