In Chitral, religious parties fail to agree on seat adjustment

CHITRAL, March 14: Talks between Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) regarding seat adjustment in the forthcoming general elections ended in failure here on Thursday as both the sides insisted on securing the two provincial assembly seats. A source present on the occasion requesting not to be named said the leaders of both the parties remained glued to their demand of getting the two provincial assembly (PA) seats of the district against the sole seat of National Assembly. The JI leaders contended that, the source added, in the elections of 2002 the PA seats were given to JUI (F) and the National Assembly seat went to the Jamaat. This time the distribution should be on the contrary. “The JUI leaders, however, claimed to be in numerical majority in the district and they remained adamant on their demand of their old coalition partners and emphasized that they will never surrender the PA seats. Surrendering the two seats meant political suicide for them,” he said. He said that the leaders exchanged hot words on many occasions during the talks which continued for more than five hours. Much importance was being given to the talks which were likely to change the course of politics in the district, he said and added that the workers of the two parties were disappointed. It may be noted that the two seats of lower Chitral and upper Chitral along with the sole National assembly seat of National assembly were won by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal of the religious parties in the 2002 elections. However, in the 2008 polls, the NA seat along with the PA seat of upper Chitral was won by the PML-Q while the PPP grabbed the lower Chitral PA seat. –Zahiruddin]]>