PML-N, MQM-Pakistan announce to contest upcoming general elections together
LAHORE, Nov 7 (SABAH): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Tuesday announced they would contest the upcoming general elections together.
The development came days after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Dr. Arif Alvi agreed on February 8, 2024, as the date for polls an announcement that has stirred activity in the camps of major political parties.
In the run-up to polls, the rivalry between the Nawaz-led party and PPP has gained momentum as the latter alleged that the PML-N has a hidden alliance with the current caretaker government.
The PPP also recently announced that it was open to form an electoral alliance with the PTI to counter former ally PML-N.
The PML-N, the PPP and MQM-Pakistan were coalition partners in the previous government and had joined hands to remove PTI’s Imran Khan from power.
On Tuesday, an MQM-Pakistan delegation comprising Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Dr. Farooq Sattar and Syed Mustafa Kamal met PML-N supremo Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif who returned to Pakistan on Oct 21 and his brother former prime minister and PML-N President Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the party’s Central Secretariat in Lahore.
In a joint statement issued after meeting, the parties said they had agreed to adopt a joint strategy to put an end to the public’s woes and redirect the country towards the path of development.
The parties also decided to constitute a six-member committee to prepare a comprehensive charter, which they said would address the problems in Sindh and its urban areas. “It will present the final proposals for cooperation between the two parties to the leadership within 10 days,” the joint statement added.
In a media talk earlier, PML-N leader and former federal minister Khawaja Muhammad Saad Rafique, who also attended the meeting, said his party had held talks with the MQM-Pakistan during their time together in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.
“We signed a charter at that time and a larger understanding has been present […] a desire has been voiced by both parties of contesting elections together,” he stated.
Saad Rafique said it was decided that the parties would hold consultations on several political, economic and legal policies. “Our doors will remain open for other political parties as well and opportunity would be given to discuss matters in the larger national interest,” he added.
Meanwhile, MQM-P’s Dr. Farooq Sattar said: “Just contesting the elections isn’t important, what happens after it is too.”
He highlighted the need for discussions on solving challenges such as unemployment, inflation and poverty. “It is clear that no political party alone is in the position to bring the nation out of the current crises. Hence, there is a need for a larger alliance,” Dr. Farooq Sattar added.