FAISALABAD, Sept 16: The Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) is facing an embarrassment after the withdrawal of nomination papers by its 17 nominees for the seats of national and provincial assemblies.

To make the matter worse, most of them have announced the support of candidates of major political parties like PML-QA, PPP and PML-N.

The central leadership of MMA had issued a list of its candidates for almost all 11 seats of national and 22 provincial assemblies in the district with the consultation of local leaders.

Over 70 per cent nominees were newcomers and had been directed to contest elections by heads of their respective parties. But, the MMA faced a serious setback when four national and 13 provincial assembly candidates withdrew their papers.

The MMA had nominated Mian Muhammad Ilyas (JI) for NA-79, FCCI president Mian Naeemur Rehman (JAH) for NA-81 and Muhammad Abdullah Dommar (JUI-F) for NA-83.

Central JAH leader Maulana Muhammad Yousaf Anwar after withdrawing his papers for NA-85 has announced to support ex-MNA Raja Nadir Pervez for this constituency.

Now the MMA has left with only seven candidates for contesting the general election. They are: Athar Iqbal Bhutta for NA-75, Abu Bakar for NA-76, Rai Akram Kharal for NA-77, Peer Karimullah Shah for NA-78, Saeedur Rehman for NA-80, Sardar Zafar Hussain for NA-82 and Rifaat Jawed for NA-84.

Similarly, the MMA had also nominated Farooq Chattha for PP-52, Dr Muhammad Saeed for PP-53, Muhammad Akram for PP-55, Gulzar Ahmad for PP-56, Peer Anwar Husain for PP-57, Tahir Mehmood for PP-60, Mian Abdul Raoof for PP-61, Mehmood Ahmad Lali for PP-63, Malik Muhammad Shafiq for PP-66, Mehboobuz Zaman Butt for PP-67 and Aftab Ahmad Poma for PP-69. The tickets for PP-59 and PP-62 had not been awarded to any candidate.

Only Malik Muhammad Din, a Jamaat-i-Islami candidate, had clinched a provincial assembly seat PP-56 in 1988 elections on the IJI ticket. Besides the JI candidate, no religious leader party has ever bagged a single seat of national or provincial assembly in the Faisalabad district during 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993 nad 1997 general election.

Now Malik Muhammad Arshad, son of Muhammad Din, is a candidate for PP-71 from the platform of MMA.