JUI-F ‘forward bloc’ expected in Lakki dist govt

LAKKI MARWAT: The members of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have yet to reach consensus to form the district government amid reports that some of them may form a forward bloc, sources said.
The sources said that JUI-F has a number of factions loyal to late MNA Kabir Khan’s group, the Sher Afzal faction, Aslam Khan Issakkhel group and Naseer Muhammad Khan Maidadkhel group.
Though efforts are underway to make these factions agree to support the party’s nominee for district and tehsil nazims, differences remain and reaching agreement on the issue would require the intervention of the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman. There were reports that the Maulana had told his party’s newly elected councillors from Lakki Marwat district to resolve the issue on their own.
On the other hand, the members of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and some independents have also started lobbying to form a coalition government in the district.
“The JUI-F members have not reached any consensus about the formation of the district government. This is the reason some of the members want to form ‘forward bloc’ to join the emerging coalition district government, a party activist told The News.
The JUI-F leaders had given a call for empowering the party’s Shura to resolve the crisis but it has yet to hold its meeting.It was reported that JUI-F leaders nominated Samiullah Mujahid, who was elected from the Bakhmal Ahmedzai Union Council, for the office of the chairmanship of the district council and Hidayatullah Khan for the Tehsil Council chairmanship. But some of the groups in JUI-F are not happy with this decision as they want their nominees to be nominated for these positions.
The sources said former federal minister and leader of PPP, Anwar Saifullah Khan has been trying to convince some of the JUI-F factions led by Naseer Muhammad Khan Maidadkhel and Sher Afzal Khan to join the coalition government in the district.
It may be recalled that the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had asked the JUI-F’s district leaders to keep him out of this crisis when they went to his village Abdulkhel to seek his blessings for their candidates.
There are 33 union councils in Lakki Marwat. The JUI-F has 17 members of the district council, PPP has six and PTI has five. There are four independent members. The coalition district government could be formed by the PPP, PTI and the independents if some of the JUI-F members announce ‘forward bloc’ and join them.