PESHAWAR, Dec 13: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is likely to form electoral alliance with Jamaat-i-Islami in the next general polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to sources.
They said that PML-N leaders had contacted Jamaat-i-Islami to hold negotiations with it for entering into an electoral alliance.
PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak, when contacted, though rejected reports about negotiations with political parties for electoral alliance, yet said that Jamaat-i-Islami could be suitable ally for them in the province.
He said that provincial chapter of the party had to follow instructions of central leadership in that regard. He said that they would talk to other parties if central leadership directed them to do so.
“We have informal contacts with some of JI leaders but formal meeting in this connection has so far not been held,” Mr Khattak said.
He said that PML-N had completed homework for selection of candidates on recommendations of survey committees. The final decision would be taken with approval of central leadership, he added.
“No doubt some of the candidates are weak and need assistance of another political party. However, we will not leave any seat vacant and suitable candidates will be fielded in all constituencies in the province,” the PML-N leader said. About a possible visit of PML-N central president Mian Nawaz Sharif to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that the visit was due for the past one month and preparations were completed for holding public meetings in different districts.
Mr Khattak said that main public meetings would be held in Karak, Dera Ismail Khan, Dir, Swat, Abbottabad, Kohat and Bannu. He said that election campaign had already been initiated and it would formally be launched by the party’s president.
Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, he said, would also visit some districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to address public meetings.
Meanwhile, PML-N has decided to unseat former central general secretary of its women wing Shazia Aurangzeb from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for joining Pakistan People’s Party.
“We have issued her show cause notice to reply within three days as to why she has joined PPP despite the fact that she is still member of provincial assembly on the reserved seat of PML-N,” said Mr Khattak.He said that after three days the party would issue another statement to declare that she would be removed from the seat and thus as per procedure the speaker would have to send recommendations to election commission for unseating her.
Ms Aurangzeb, when contacted, said that PML-N had not issued any show cause notice to her. PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah did not have the powers to take such steps as only the central president had the authority to exercise such powers, she said.
“The provincial president had also issued a show cause notice to me in violation of PML-N constitution but the notice had been released to media some two weeks before issuing it to me. I also have the right to defend myself and I would move Supreme Court against the show cause notice,” she said.
Ms Aurangzeb said that PML-N should follow the constitution in Punjab too where it had made a forward bloc part of its government in violation of rules. “Same is situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where three PML-Q MPAs -- Rashad Khan, Fazullah and Miankhel -- have joined PML-N but nobody unseated them,” she said.
