PML-N, MQM Announce Election Alliance

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Tuesday that broader political collaboration was indispensable to steer the country out of prevailing crises

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Nov, 2023) Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Tuesday that broader political collaboration was indispensable to steer the country out of prevailing crises.

He was talking to media along with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) leaders including Dr Khalid Maqbool Saddique, Farooq Starr and Syed Mustafa Kamal, who earlier met with PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif and President Shehbaz Sharif here at Model Town (PML-N Secretariat).

Saad Rafique announced that the PML-N and MQM had forged an electoral alliance for the upcoming polls on February 8, adding that both parties would jointly contest the upcoming general elections. Both parties have agreed to adopt a joint strategy to bring the people of Pakistan out of the current crisis and to put the country back on the path to development, he added.

He said it had been decided that the parties would hold consultations on political, economic and legal policies, adding that the doors would remain open to other political parties as well. He said the two parties had also decided to set up a six-member committee to prepare a comprehensive charter to address the problems of Sindh province.

He announced that PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif and President Shehbaz Sharif after consultation with other party leadership had decided to appoint Bashir Memon as the party president in Sindh and Shah Muhammad Shah as central vice president.

MQM leader Farooq Sattar said that there was a dire need for a proper strategy to counter the challenges faced by the country. “Just contesting the elections isn’t important, what happens after it is too important,” he remarked.

Farooq Sattar stressed the need for discussions on solving challenges such as unemployment, inflation and poverty. "No political power is in a position to bring the nation out of prevailing challenges, hence there is a need for a larger alliance, he added.

He proposed a ‘Charter for national interest’, which would soon be prepared by his party and the PML-N. He added that the charter would also be shared with other political parties. "Together, this is the only way to regain the trust of the public," he said.

Mustafa Kamal said that a strong leadership and tough decisions were essential to steer the country out of the crisis, adding that Karachi was the key to bringing Pakistan out of the current economic crisis but maintained that it could only happen when the metropolis was given its due share.

Earlier, in a joint statement issued after meeting, the parties said they had agreed to adopt a joint strategy to end public’s woes and redirect the country towards the path to development. The parties also decided to a 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.

PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Ayaz Sadiq, Parveez Rasheed, Rana Sanaullah and Marriyum Aurangzeb also attended the meeting.