Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have decided to give tough time to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in coming by-elections on October 14 by fielding joint candidates, it is learnt. This decision has been made in a meeting held between senior leaders of PML-N and PPP in Parliament Lodges on Wednesday. PPP senior leaders including former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Karia and Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari and PML-N senior leaders Sardar Ayaz Saddiq, Rana Sanaullha and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry participated in the meeting.
According to sources, the leaders of both parties formulated a formula for supporting each other in by-election after consultation with their leadership. According to the formula, the sources said, both the parties would support a joint candidate for contesting by-election of that party's candidate who got second largest votes in a constituency. They said that PPP will mostly support the PML-N candidate in Punjab while on the other hand PML-N would support the PPP's candidates in Sindh.
After the meeting, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari while talking to media persons said that the PPP and PML-N would support each other in by-election.
He said that joint candidates of both parties would contest by-elections. He said that the two sides discussed the possibility of fielding joint candidates in by-election, to be held in 11 constituencies of the National Assembly and 26 of the provincial assemblies.
Qamar Zaman Kaira said that PML-N would support the PPP's candidate in by-elections in Karachi and interior Sindh. He said that similarly, PPP would support the PML-N's candidate in Punjab. He said that both parties would participate in the campaign of each other's candidates. Rana Sanaullah said, "We will participate in the election campaign of each other and support our joint candidates."