PESHAWAR: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) is to enter an alliance with the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a senior party leader told Dawn.com.

The party’s Majlis-e-Amla is going to have a meeting later in the evening today with members of the PTI which includes newly won candidate from NA-5 Pervaiz Khattak and PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  president Asad Qaiser.

There are reports that Maulana Fazlur Rehman was in contact with both JI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to form a government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following staunch rivalry against Imran Khan.

But JI sources said that it is most likely to be part of PTI formed government. “JI has nothing against Maulana Fazlur Rehman but it would be unfair on PTI if they are not allowed to form a government after winning majority of the seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”

PML-N Punjab President Shahbaz Sharif has also said that his party supports the formation of a PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

But JI is equally going to be helping itself more than PTI by forming a coalition.

“We weren’t part of the previous elections in 2008, and the best way to come back in politics is to be either actively involved as opposition or be part of the government. JI leaders feel that by joining hands with PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it will revive its chances of doing better in the next elections.” the JI source added.

JI  won seven provincial seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three NA seats.

“We are not in a bargaining position with the PTI for the KPK government because our numbers of seats are few, but PTI realises that it does need JI to deal with the Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PTI will also need the more experienced JI leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who are aware of the matters of the province and can help Imran with the governance there.” According to the JI source.

JI leaders are disappointed with election outcome by not being able to bag as many seats as they would have wanted to have a stronger influence in the ongoing politics, and they partially blame the PTI for it. “If PTI had collaborated with JI before the elections, PML-N wouldn’t have won with a huge margin in Punjab. It was a loss for both PTI and JI” the source said. “PML-N too knows that if JI and PTI were together the Sharif’s would have never crossed hundred seats in the national assembly” He added.

The source also suggests that JI will support PTI to form an opposition party against PML-N, since PTI still hasn’t got enough seats to form the leading opposition party in the national assembly. “We will monitor PML-N’s policies regarding the United States and India, but most likely we are going to be part of the opposition in the national assembly.”