Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), who also headed the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) in the July 25 general elections, has decided against contesting the by-poll for NA-35 Bannu seat.
The National Assembly seat had fallen vacant after prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan decided to retain his Mianwali seat, out of the five he had won in last month’s elections.
The PTI chief emerged victorious from NA-35 Bannu, NA-53 Islamabad, NA-95 Mianwali, NA-131 Lahore and NA-243 Karachi in the general elections.
The JUI-F chief has informed the party’s central and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa executive committees about his decision without citing reasons, official told media.
However, Maulana Rehman’s reluctance on not trying his luck in Bannu by-poll may be linked to his possible defeat, which would not only be a major embarrassment for the seasoned politician but can also threaten his political career.
Fazl, along with some other political heavyweights of the country, has failed to book his seat in the National Assembly after suffering a crushing defeat on both of his home constituencies at the hands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opponents in the polls.
