Bid for seat adjustment: Political parties flock to JUIF provincial headquarters

PESHAWAR: After the one-day visit of former president Asif Ali Zardari, the provincial metropolis became hub of political activities on Monday as almost all the political parties expedited activities to reach electoral alliance or at least seat-to-seat adjustment.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) was seen as the drawing force attracting different political parties, who wished to reach some alliance or adjustment with it. 

The former president preferred to stay in the Governor’s House inhibited by a JUIF leader Ghulam Ali as governor these days and avoided going out for security reasons.

Zardari held all his meetings there. He had called even his own party leaders there to hold a meeting with them and give them necessary instructions about the upcoming elections.Asif Zardari reportedly expressed his deepest interest in reaching some kind of electoral arrangement with the JUIF during his meeting with Governor Ghulam Ali.

A day after the PPP leader visited the city, political parties started flocking to the JUIF’s provincial headquarters - Mufti Mehmood Markaz - in a bid to make seat adjustments for the general elections.

The party delegations that visited the JUIF office included Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party (ANP) and Qaumi Watan Party .A delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had already visited the JUIF office a few days back for the same purpose.

The PPP delegation was led by former provincial president Syed Zahir Ali Shah. Former KP Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Chagharmatti, Amjad Afridi, Tehmash Khan and Misbah Khan were also present on the occasion. The ANP delegation was led by its provincial president Aimal Wali Khan. Senator Hidayatullah Khan, Prof Khadim Hussain and Shakeel Basheer Khan Umerzai were also part of the delegation.

Similarly, the QWP delegation was led by its provincial president Sikandar Khan Sherpao, while Dr Farooq Asad Afridi, Tariq Khan and Fayyaz Khan were also present on the occasion. The JUIF leaders present at the meetings included their provincial president Senator Ataur Rahman, Maulana Ataul Haq Darvesh, Senator Dilawar Khan, Mufti Fazal Ghafoor, Abdul Jalil Jan , Maulana Amanullah Haqqani and Asif Iqbal Daudzai.

According to Abdul Jalil Jan, all the visiting delegations expressed the wish to contest the general elections from a joint platform.He said that the series of talks would continue and soon they would reach some conclusion.

According to sources, certain forces were mounting pressure on the political parties to make an alliance with the PTI-Parliamentarian. But all of them were reluctant to make any such alliance as they considered the leaders and workers of the new party responsible for the “mess” created by the PTI during its rule especially in the province.