ISLAMABAD, Jan 18: The minister for water and power and Kana, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, defending his party defeat in the by-election on a provincial seat, attributed the loss mainly to the backing out of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal from the poll adjustment and ganging up of all parties against the candidate of PPP-S in NWFP.

In an informal chat with a group of newsmen here on Saturday, Mr Sherpao said that as his party had seat adjustment with the MMA in Charsadda it should not have contested against PPP-S in the by-election.

Moreover, he said that the entire NWFP government including its chief minister and ministers, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Maulana Fazlur Rehman rallied to defeat his party candidate.

He, however, boasted that his party won one seat in D. I. Khan.