ISLAMABAD, Jan 11: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has issued a show-cause notice to an NWFP Assembly member belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (Noorani) for voting for President Gen Pervez Musharraf and violating the alliance's policy of abstention.

Earlier, the alliance had expelled a Punjab Assembly member belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami and issued show-cause notices to other MPAs who had voted for the president.

A JUP-N spokesman said MPA Akhtar Nawaz of the NWFP had earlier voted against the party line in the Senate polls and explanation was sought from him for violating the party discipline.

He said the MPA had joined the party after getting elected independently. The spokesman claimed that Mr Nawaz had approached late Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani a number of times and sought induction in the Frontier cabinet.

He denied the reports of a rift in the MMA over the loss of the Senate seat which had fallen vacant due to the death of Maulana Noorani. He said the MMA was left with seven votes in the Sindh Assembly after the change of loyalties by a JUP and a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam MPA, so the seat could not have been claimed without support from the ruling party.

He said a JUP meeting in Karachi on Jan 17 would discuss some amendments in the party constitution, its relations with the MMA and other issues. He said the election of a new party president was also on cards but it was not on the agenda of the meeting.

MMA's deputy parliamentary leader in the National Liaqat Baloch confirmed that the notice had been issued. Replying to a question, he said the MMA was mulling over launching a campaign for the enforcement of shariat.

He said there was no need of bringing a new bill since the Constitution laid down the guidelines for the enforcement of Islamic laws through legislation on the recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology. He said the alliance in its meeting on Jan 18 in Karachi would discuss the election of a JUP nominee to the supreme council.