ISLAMABAD July 4: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) may not field its own candidates and instead support joint opposition nominees in the by-polls scheduled on Aug 18 for the two National Assembly seats vacated by the PML legislators in favour of prime minister-in-waiting Shaukat Aziz , informed sources told Dawn on Sunday.

The religious alliance might not field its candidates on the two seats provided the rest of the opposition came up with consensus candidates, the sources claimed.

Speaking to Dawn, deputy parliamentary leader of the MMA Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said the religio-political bloc had sought report from its Attock chapter about candidates who might be interested in contesting the by-elections.

He, however, maintained that the alliance wanted that all opposition parties should agree on a joint candidate. PPP Parliamentarians senator Farhatullah Babar said the ARD would take a decision on throwing a serious challenge to the government by fielding joint candidates on both the seats.

The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), which failed to field joint candidates in the bypolls on four provincial seats in Punjab, would finalise names of joint candidates on Monday in its Lahore meeting.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan is also reported to be considering contesting against Shaukat Aziz on the Attock seat. He wants other opposition parties to support him.

A close aide of Imran Khan, Akbar S.Babar, told Dawn that a series of consultations had been held with other opposition parties on the subject while there was a tremendous pressure from inside the party as well.

Asked for his comments on the possibility of Imran Khan contesting from Attock, Senator Babar said, if the published reports about this possibility were correct then the ARD had to take a notice of it for the PTI chairman had been supporting the alliance, and he (Imran) had voted for Makhdoom Amin Fahim in the election for the leader of the house as well.

Mr Babar also said the opposition was looking for a heavy weight to field against Mr Aziz and Imran Khan fulfilled the criterion. Imran's spokesman said: "We do not consider it mere bypolls for the National Assembly, therefore the party would like that all opposition parties chalk out a unified strategy to combat the attempts of Musharraf to run the presidential system."

It was not clear if the ARD would file a heavy weight from Tharparker as well since it was considered to be the safest seat for Mr Aziz to get through with ease. A source in the ARD said it was likely that while the Attock seat was allotted to the PML-N, that has already announced the name of its secretary-general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra for the contest, the Tharparker seat might go to the PPP Parliamentarians.

The sources said the government, in order to show that the bypass were held in a fair-and-free manner, would let one of the seats be won by the opposition candidate. "This would lend credibility to the bypass in the eyes of foreign powers as well," said an insider, adding that these powers would keenly and closely follow the election process.