The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) have agreed to support each other in the upcoming general elections.
The development came during a meeting between PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and GDA chief Pir Pagara, with Khawaja Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq in attendance.
The two sides agreed on a four-party seat adjustment formula during the meeting. This four-party alliance, according to sources, comprises the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
The primary objective of this electoral alliance is to challenge the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in its political stronghold of Sindh, reportedly. Shehbaz and Pagara affirmed their commitment to collaboration during the meeting, pledging to participate in the forthcoming elections jointly.
The PML-N president noted that a single party has held sway in the province for many years.
After interacting with the media after the meeting, PML-N and GDA leaders announced their consensus on a four-party seat-adjustment formula.
They revealed that the GDA harboured reservations regarding the upcoming elections and acknowledged the presence of PPP candidates in almost every constituency. The GDA leaders asserted that the delegation led by Shehbaz attentively listened to their concerns.
They also emphasised that 30 to 35 per cent of votes were inclined towards the PPP, while their focus remained on the remaining 65 per cent of votes.
The GDA leaders proclaimed their intent to alter the prevailing political trend of the past 15 years by defeating the PPP in several constituencies on election day.
Earlier in the day, Shehbaz said the upcoming elections will determine the fate of Karachi as he called for collective efforts to deal with issues plaguing the port city. The PML-N president was in Karachi on Thursday to meet MQM-P leaders to finalise the electoral alliance between the two parties. Addressing the media alongside leaders of MQM-P, Shehbaz said he found the MQM-P leaders very “enthusiastic” as he highlighted the collective achievements of both parties.
Shehbaz said the upcoming elections will have to prove if the country’s political leadership can resolve the issues with mutual consultation. Referring to the port city, he said “untiring” efforts were needed for Karachi to get its share and maintained that the city’s fate would change after the elections. “No single person can bring about these changes alone.
Speaking at a separate event earlier in the day, Shehbaz promised that Karachi’s infrastructure would be developed, the water tanker mafia would end, and the youth would be imparted technical skills. He also lauded the city’s residents for making it the highest tax-paying town in Pakistan. Referring to Nawaz’s earlier tenure in power, he lamented that the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway would have been completed by now if the elder Sharif had not been ousted.
Shebaz further expressed his party’s intent for a vigorous election campaign in Karachi, the rest of Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
