The PML-N and MQM have announced that they will be collaborating in the upcoming general elections, marking an unexpected turn of events. This announcement comes after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and President Arif Alvi set the date for the polls on February 8, 2024, which has caused political parties to intensify their activities. The rivalry between the PML-N and PPP has been growing as the latter accuses the former of having a concealed alliance with the caretaker government. In response, the PPP has expressed its openness to forming an electoral alliance with the PTI to counter the PML-N.
Previously, the PML-N, PPP, and MQM were coalition partners in the previous government and had joined forces to remove Imran Khan and the PTI from power. Today, a delegation from the MQM, including Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Farooq Sattar, and Mustafa Kamal, met with PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif at the party’s Central Secretariat in Lahore. Following the meeting, a joint statement was issued in which the parties announced their agreement to adopt a joint strategy to alleviate the public’s woes and steer the country towards development. Additionally, a six-member committee will be constituted to prepare a comprehensive charter that will address the issues in Sindh and its urban areas. The committee will present its final proposals for cooperation between the two parties within 10 days.
During a media talk, PML-N leader Saad Rafique, who was also present at the meeting, revealed that his party had previously held talks with the MQM during their time together in the PDM government, and a desire to contest the elections together has been expressed by both parties. It was also decided that consultations on various political, economic, and legal policies will be held, with the doors remaining open for other political parties to discuss matters in the larger national interest.