PML-N yet to decide over seat adjustment with IPP

GUJRANWALA: Veteran Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Khurram Dastgir Khan on Tuesday said the party would discuss where they would accommodate the Istehkam-e-Pakistan (IPP) in elections after making a final decision regarding tickets, which may take four to five days.

On the IPP's purported demand for a multitude of constituencies, including some key ones, the PML-N leader said that decisive talks could not take place after the Jahangir Tareen-led party made a huge demand.

He said that seat adjustment with the IPP would be possible but their “big agenda” was yet to be discussed.

Earlier, talks between both parties reached an impasse as the Shehbaz Sharif-led party is not eager to form an alliance on a multitude of its seats.

The News had reported citing sources that the IPP had called for adjustment on 50 provincial assembly seats and 26 National Assembly seats, as the talks between the two political parties ended without making any major breakthrough.

The PML-N was not ready for an alliance on the seats where its top leaders will contest, the sources had said. They added that the party was not willing to form an alliance on tons of other seats as well.

Dastgir said there was no pressure to accommodate the IPP in Punjab. They would like to take other parties too along with them, he maintained.

“We aim to create political stability in the upcoming assemblies, for this we will make seat adjustments,” he added.

PML-N has reservations on delimitations

Speaking about the delimitations by the ECP, Dastgir said that his party had reservations over new delimitations across the country.

Earlier this month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified the final list of delimitation of constituencies of the national and the four provincial assemblies.

Following the announcement of delimitations, political parties including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) raised their concerns over delimitations.

However, the Supreme Court in its December 13 ruling said that no objections can be raised on the delimitations after the announcement of the schedule for the upcoming general elections.

The top court’s order has virtually closed all doors to election delay as courts across the country would not be able to entertain any petition challenging delimitation carried out by the ECP any more.