The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have announced they will jointly contest the upcoming by-elections, agreeing not to field candidates against each other.
The decision was made during a meeting at the Lahore residence of senior PPP leader and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. PML-N was represented by Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, while Ashraf and Nayyar Hussain Bukhari represented PPP.
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At a joint press conference, both sides confirmed cooperation under a constituency-wise seat adjustment formula. “Whichever party was the runner-up in a constituency during the general elections will get the other’s support in the by-polls,” Ashraf explained.
Hanif Abbasi echoed the message of unity, calling the alliance an extension of their coalition partnership in the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial legislatures. “Together, we will achieve victory,” he said.
The move follows several rounds of discussions between the two parties, aimed at ensuring smoother power-sharing in Punjab and broader political stability. Earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, voicing concerns that the premier promised to address, while securing PPP’s backing for economic revival plans.
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The Election Commission of Pakistan has scheduled by-polls in several constituencies, including NA-96, NA-104, and PP-98 in Faisalabad, on October 5. Other contests, such as NA-129 (Lahore), NA-66 (Wazirabad), and PP-87 (Mianwali), will take place on September 18.
The vacancies stem from PTI lawmakers’ disqualifications in the May 9 cases and the death of Mian Muhammad Azhar, who vacated NA-129.
