Archives

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov 27 (Reuters) - A Pakistani provincial assembly voted in an Islamic hardliner as speaker on Wednesday as his alliance, opposed to the presence of U.S. troops in the country, prepared to take power in a region bordering Afghanistan.

Bakht Jahan Khan of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of six Islamic groups was elected speaker of the strategic North West Frontier Province (NWFP) assembly with 81 votes out of 120 votes cast. His closest rival won 39 votes.

The MMA is certain to take control of the local government when elections for the chief minister or executive head of the province are held on Friday.

The MMA, which has an outright majority in the NWFP, also emerged as the largest group in the assembly of southwestern Baluchistan, the other province bordering Afghanistan, in October elections.

But whether it will be able to form a coalition in that province remains unclear as the pro-military Pakistan Muslim League is attempting to win over smaller allies to sideline the MMA. The League is expected to take control of Pakistan's two other provinces as well, Punjab and Sindh.

The MMA alliance campaigned on a fiercely anti-U.S. platform, vowing to force the U.S. military to leave Pakistan and to introduce strict Islamic sharia law.

The MMA won 60 seats in the National Assembly in the October 10 general election, which restored a civilian government in Pakistan three years after a military coup. The MMA's strongest showing by far came in the NWFP and Baluchistan.

However the pro-military Pakistan Muslim League formed the federal government with support from smaller parties and defectors

Nevertheless, the MMA's success in the two strategic regions raised concern in the West that the six-party grouping, which includes fiery pro-Taliban clerics, could undermine the U.S.-led war on terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistani troops, with the support of a small number of U.S. personnel, are hunting in the NWFP for remnants of Afghanistan's former Taliban regime and its al Qaeda allies.

However, political observers say the MMA may not be able to do much to hamper President Pervez Musharraf's support for the U.S.-led campaign as the NWFP government has little say over semi-autonomus tribal areas where a large number of Taliban and al Qaeda militants are believed to be hiding.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are controlled by the central government in Islamabad.

The pro-military League is set to take power in the most populous Punjab province after its candidate Mohammad Afzal Sahi won elections on Wednesday to become the speaker of the provincial assembly.

The party is also expected to form a coalition government in the southern province of Sindh. 

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager