Nawaz meets Shujaat after 15 years: PMLN, PMLQ agree on seat adjustment in Punjab

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) has agreed on seat adjustment with Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) in Punjab.

The major political development took place after PMLN supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, along with his party President Shehbaz Sharif, visited the house of PMLQ President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, here on Wednesday.

Shujaat Hussain welcomed Nawaz Sharif and the other PMLN leaders. PMLN Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar and Marriyum Aurangzeb were also present. From the other side, former federal ministers Tariq Bashir Cheema, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain and Chaudhry Salik Hussain attended the meeting.

This was the first meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain after a gap of nearly 15 years. The two senior leaders exchanged pleasantries and expressed best wishes for each other. Party sources said the meeting lasted for around an hour and the leaderships discussed the possibility of making an electoral alliance and decided to form separate committees to finalise issues in this regard.

Sources added that the leaderships of both parties agreed on seat adjustment on two National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly seats. They said the parties would enter into seat adjustments on constituencies of PMLQ leader Tariq Bashir Cheema and Ch Salik Hussain, while Ch Shafay’s provincial assembly constituency was also a part of the seat adjustment plan. However, no official statement was issued about the seat adjustment.

Later, PMLN leader Nawaz Sharif visited the residence of former speaker Punjab Assembly Sardar Tariq Mazari and offered Fateha on the death of former caretaker prime minister Mir Balkh Sher Mazari. Maryam Nawaz, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Sheikh Fayyazuddin were also present.

Separately, PMLN leaders from Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh provinces met PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif here on Wednesday. PMLN Balochistan President Jafar Khan Mandokhel, former chief minister Jam Kamal and former MNA and former federal minister Samaira Malik met Shehbaz Sharif in Model Town where senior PMLN leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was also present.

Consultations were held on party affairs and preparations for the general election in Balochistan and proposals were also discussed to make the party stronger and more active in Balochistan. Shehbaz appreciated Jafar Mandokhel’s efforts to strengthen the PMLN in Balochistan. Jam Kamal congratulated Shehbaz on the acquittal of Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference.

Party leaders from Karachi Khawaja Shoaib and Saleheen Tanoli also met the party president. They discussed issues related to strengthening the party in Sindh and preparations for the general election.

The PMLN is the largest federal party in all the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Shehbaz Sharif claimed, adding that the party was a symbol of strength and progress of the Federation.

PMLN Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, while talking with the media, said Nawaz Sharif presided over the parliamentary board for interview. The PMLN interviewed 87 candidates for National and provincial assemblies from Balochistan, finalising its candidates for party tickets for 16 NA and 51 PA constituencies, respectively.

Besides Nawaz who headed the interview panel of the central parliamentary board, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Election Cell Head Senator Ishaq Dar, Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, PMLN Balochistan President Jafar Khan Mandokhel and other party’s central and provincial officials were also present. The board also considered the names of candidates in the Sargodha division, Rawalpindi district, Hazara and Malakand. The names of candidates will be announced in a few days.

Ahsan Iqbal told the media about the construction of Quetta-Gwadar Road, which was completed in three years. During the process, 40 Frontier Works soldiers were martyred. “The construction of Quetta-Dera Ismail Khan Road was stopped which we restored while a record number of universities were built in Balochistan,” Ahsan Iqbal claimed.

He said the PMLN government gave 5,000 scholarships for Balochistan and FATA students, which played an important role in the development of Balochistan through human resource development.

Promising massive development in the province, he said, “Electricity in Balochistan will be produced through solar power so that no area may suffer from deprivation.”

Earlier, addressing a press conference, PMLN leader Ataullah Tarar said: “The chairman of PTI and his social media cell spread lies and propaganda against the PMLN through a fake picture under the name of John Burks on Twitter.” Tarar suggested the minimum punishment for the PTI chairman should be life imprisonment.

He termed Imran the worst ruler in the history of Pakistan. He demanded that the Al-Qadir Trust case should be tried daily and Shahzad Akbar and Malik Riaz should be declared absconders.