PESHAWAR, Oct 16: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) has formally nominated its leader Akram Khan Durani, a newly-elected MPA from PF-70 (Bannu), for the office of provincial chief minister, party sources say.

Chief of his own faction of the JUI, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, who is also the secretary-general of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), has also reportedly given a ‘go-ahead’ to Mr Durani for the top slot of the MMA-led government in the NWFP.

Akram Durani - who does not sport beard and has been elected to the provincial assembly for the third time - has been named by his party chief after the NWFP chapter of the MMA agreed on a power sharing formula with the Samiul Haque faction of the JUI in the Frontier province on Tuesday last.

According to the pact, the chief ministership would go to the JUI(F), speaker of the provincial assembly would belong to the Jamaat whereas deputy speakership would be given to the JUI(S).

SUPPORT ASSURED: After suffering the worst defeat at the hands of the Mutahida Majlis-i-Amal in the NWFP, political parties have, apparently, accepted the Oct 10 election results as the MMA’s nominee for the chief minister slot, Mr Akram Khan Durani, has been assured cooperation by leaders of different political parties having representation in the provincial assembly.

Though the two main anti-establishment forces — People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) — have decided to sit on the opposition benches in the provincial assembly, their leaders have separately assured cooperation to Akram Khan Durani, the JUI(F) nominee for the NWFP’s chief minister’s office.

ANP leader and former president of the party’s NWFP chapter, Begum Nasim Wali Khan, according to sources, contacted Akram Khan Durani on telephone and, on behalf of her party, assured him of full support to the MMA government in the province.