Islamabad, August 23 – Pakistan’s two major ruling parties have announced they will unite in upcoming by-elections, marking a significant political development following recent disqualifications of opposition lawmakers.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) agreed Saturday to jointly contest by-elections without fielding competing candidates in any constituency. This decision comes after 12 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers were disqualified from both the National Assembly and Punjab provincial assembly.
Strategic Partnership Formalized
The alliance was formalized during a meeting at the residence of PPP senior leader and former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. The PML-N delegation included Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, while the PPP was represented by Ashraf and Nayyar Hussain Bukhari.
In a joint press conference following their discussions, both parties outlined their seat-sharing arrangement based on constituency-wise cooperation.
“Our leadership has directed us to work together for these by-elections,” explained Raja Pervez Ashraf. “The agreement is that whichever party was the runner-up in a particular constituency during the general elections will receive the support of the other.”
Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi emphasized the strength of their coalition partnership: “We are coalition partners in the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial legislatures. This partnership will now extend into the by-polls, and together, we will achieve victory.”
Background and Context
This collaborative approach builds on previous successful coordination between the parties in earlier by-elections. The renewed alliance addresses recent tensions within the ruling coalition that emerged when PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari publicly criticized Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over unfulfilled development promises in Karachi.
Bhutto-Zardari had accused the Prime Minister of maintaining double standards between Punjab and Sindh provinces. However, these concerns were addressed in subsequent meetings between party leaders, with the PPP ultimately pledging full support for the government’s economic recovery initiatives.
Electoral Timeline
The by-elections became necessary following multiple developments. Twelve PTI lawmakers faced disqualification due to verdicts related to the May 9 riots—eight from the National Assembly and four from the Punjab Assembly. Additionally, the death of Mian Muhammad Azhar created a vacancy in the NA-129 Lahore seat.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the electoral schedule is as follows:
October 5 Elections:
- NA-96, NA-104, and PP-98 (Faisalabad)
- NA-143 (Sahiwal)
- NA-185 (Dera Ghazi Khan)
- PP-203 (Sahiwal)
September 18 Elections:
- NA-129 (Lahore)
- NA-66 (Wazirabad)
- PP-87 (Mianwali)
The strategic alliance between PML-N and PPP demonstrates their commitment to maintaining political stability and strengthening their position against opposition parties in these crucial by-elections.
