MARDAN – Former federal minister, Nawabzada Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti is likely to join Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl along with his relatives and supporters soon. Sources said a formal announcement in this regard would be made in a public meeting after Eid. JUI-F Chief, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman also met Khwaja Hoti at his residence after offering Fatiha for the departed soul of late Nawabzada Mohammad Ali Khan Hoti the other day. Sources said that Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti was demanding the tickets of National Constituency NA-9 and Provincial Constituencies PK-23 and 24. Sources further said that Khwaja Hoti would contest election on NA-9 while his brother-in-law and cousin Nawabzada Auranzeb Khan would contest election on PK-24, while on PK-23 his son Umar Farooq Khan would contest election against the Chief Minister, Ameer Hiader Khan Hoti. All the matters between Khwaja Hoti and Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman have been decided, the sources added. They said that Chief Minister, Ameer Hiader Khan Hoti would contest election on NA-9 due to which Khwaja Hoti wished to himself contest election on NA-9 against Ameer Hiader Khan Hoti. Sources further said that Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Hoti, father of Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, also started struggling to make seat-to-seat adjustment with JUI-F on district level and if he succeeded to make it, it would create hurdles for Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti. Some of the workers and office-bearers of JUI-F told TheNation on condition of anonymity that Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti changed several parties in the past and if he joined JUI-F he would create problems for the JUI-F office-bearers and local leaders on district level. They further said that Maulana Amanat Shah is a strong candidate in PK-24 and Maulana Sujaul Mulak is a strong candidate of JUI-F in NA-9 and if leadership gives these tickets toKhawja Mohammad Hoti it will discourage the party ideological workers. Observers say that Khwaja Hoti has a large number of supporters in Mardan district and he has great honour among the general masses but due to repeated change of parties he is losing his vote bank and credibly and it would be an uphill task for him to maintain his position in the city.