PHOTO: AFP
JI’s efforts
If JI does not join hands in the district with its natural allies, PTI, it would be an upset for the latter which has already announced an alliance with the party and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan for the local government elections.
Instead JI has held several meetings with QWP in Charsadda. An insider from JI who was present at the meetings told The Express Tribune that although the party has a coalition government with PTI in K-P, the latter’s Charsadda chapter is divided into groups and has ignored JI in the district. This, the insider said, has prompted the Jamaat into possibly choosing QWP as an ally.
However, PTI Charsadda MPA Muhammad Arif rejected having any rift among the coalition partners and told The Express Tribune they have a coalition government with JI in the province and their leaderships will finalise a strategy to contest elections with JI on a single platform.
Nevertheless, if JI and QWP do agree to form an electoral alliance, then PTI will have to contest against its tripartite confederate in Charsadda.
Opposition efforts
The JUI-F, ANP and PPP alliance has already had several rounds of meetings in the district and a source from the alliance told The Express Tribune the seats would be distributed on the basis of the results of general elections of 2013 in all three tehsils.
Those who had the largest number of votes would be given the district seats whereas those who won the second largest number of votes will have the tehsil seats.
While ANP and PPP have no internal issues regarding seat distribution, JUI-F is split into two groups. One of those is led by MNA Gohar Shah while the other is headed by district ameer Maulana Hashim Khan. Both subgroups are challenging each other’s powers, further dividing their workers.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2015.
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