All about elections and seats
At a meeting held for the first time in 15 years, former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday worked out a seat-sharing arrangement with leaders of a faction of his political party led by another former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat for both provincial and national assembly polls. The general elections are to be held on February 8.
Nawaz Sharif— the three-time former prime minister returned to the country on October 21 ending his self-imposed four-year exile in London to lead his party the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in the elections “The PML-N and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) have agreed on a seat adjustment for both national and provincial assembly elections after a meeting between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday met held a meeting with his counterpart Chaudhry Shujaat, the first in 15 years,” a report in newspaper The News International said.
Quoting sources, the report said, “The two parties have agreed on seat adjustment for two National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly constituencies.” The meeting, which lasted for about 40 minutes, between the PML-N and PML-Q supremos discussed the possibility of forging an electoral alliance and decided to form separate committees to finalise matters regarding the alliance, sources said.
Earlier on December 4, Sharif met with the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman here and discussed strategising a seat adjustment formula for the upcoming general elections. The PML-N said in a post on X after the meeting that the two leaders also discussed political cooperation.
On Wednesday, Sharif, 73, was accompanied by his party’s president and younger brother Shehbaz, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other party leaders for the meeting held at Shujaat’s residence here. The PML-Q leaders included Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, and Shafay Hussain, the newspaper said. The sources also said that the two parties will enter seat adjustment in the constituencies of PML-Q leader Tariq Bashir Cheema and Salik and added that Shafay’s provincial assembly constituency is also part of the electoral agreement.
Neither party issued any official statement, however, PML-N’s official X handle tweeted a one-minute video giving details about the meeting. “Muhammad Nawaz Sharif assessed the mood of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and expressed his best wishes for him,” thus ending the party’s post on X.
The meeting comes as political activity is on the rise as parties are running election campaigns and forging electoral alliances in a bid to strengthen their position during the elections. “Earlier, the PML-N supremo succeeded in wooing the ‘electables’ from Balochistan to join his party ranks and also forged an electoral alliance with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P),” The News International said.
Since returning to the country, the PML-N chief has secured major relief from courts in corruption cases that his party believed were filed for political victimisation by the previous government led by Imran Khan, it added.