Predictable outcome?: JUI-F confident of opposition leader slot

PESHAWAR:

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) is likely to get the coveted opposition leader slot in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) does not appear interested in lobbying for the position.

Presently, the JUI-F has at least 13 seats in the K-P Assembly as opposed to the PML-N’s 12. PML-N Provincial General Secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak told The Express Tribune both parties were yet to talk on the issue, and it was likely to be decided on the basis of party strength. He said the JUI-F was currently enjoying a strong presence in the assembly, adding the slot was likely to be decided on this basis.

However, Khattak maintained former chief minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi would be the PML-N’s candidate for the position in case the party achieved a majority in the assembly after independent candidates became allies.



“Many independent candidates have expressed their interest to join the PML-N, but we have refrained from encouraging any such attempts,” added the provincial general secretary. “Presently, the PML-N is not in contact with any independent candidate as they are chasing parties which are going to form a government in the province.”

JUI-F spokesperson Haji Jalil Jan said his party had a majority on the opposition benches, adding the JUI-F was likely to get the opposition leader slot. Jan expressed his ignorance regarding any talks between the PML-N and JUI-F on the subject.

However, he confirmed a four-member committee from his party, including Akram Khan Durrani and Gul Naseeb Khan, had been in Islamabad to discuss certain issues with the PML-N for a few days.

“It is not clear as yet whether Durrani, who won a national and provincial assembly seat, will represent the party in K-P or the centre,” said Jan. “A decision is likely to be made in this regard by May 25.”

Mehtab and Durrani, who have both served as the erstwhile NWFP chief ministers in the past, have been nominated as their respective party’s parliamentary leaders in the K-P assembly.

An interesting situation is a tie between the PML-N and JUI-F. If Durrani opts to represent the JUI-F in the National Assembly, the party’s seats in the provincial assembly will equal the PML-N’s at 12. In this case, Lutfur Rehman – JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s younger brother – will be a parliamentary leader and possible aspirant for the opposition leader slot in the K-P Assembly.

Despite all this, there is a greater likelihood of the PML-N conceding the slot to the JUI-F in an effort to create an understanding between the two parties in the National Assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2013.