Former federal minister for interior Faisal Saleh Hayat has left the PPP and joined the PML-N ahead of the upcoming general elections. The announcement was made outside Hayat’s residence in Shah Jewana in the presence of Shehbaz only, with his elder sibling and party chief missing. Shehbaz welcomed Hayat into the PML-N, stating that his induction will strengthen the party, especially in Jhang and Chiniot. He also mentioned that Hayat’s presence in the party will bolster Nawaz’s leadership. Hayat, a former PPP and PML-Q member, had indicated last week that he was about to switch sides. During the filing of his nomination papers for NA-108 and PP-125, none of his supporters carried a PPP flag, indicating his departure from the party. Hayat first quit the PPP during the Musharraf regime and later joined the PML-Q before rejoining the PPP in 2017. In the 2018 general election, he lost to PTI’s Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan by just 600 votes in the recount.