The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), PML-Functional and the National People’s Party (NPP) on Tuesday agreed to enter into an electoral alliance in Sindh to challenge the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which has so far remained the dominant party in the interior of the province.
Speaking at a joint press conference with PML-F chief Pir Pagaro and NPP chief Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said they would make all-out efforts to include other opposition parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, in the alliance.
The PML-N chief met Pir Pagaro at the Kingri House. He was accompanied by senior party leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ghaus Ali Shah, and Mumtaz Ali Bhutto.
After the meeting, the leaders expressed their satisfaction at the broad electoral alliance, saying they would field joint candidates at all seats in the province to rid the province of corrupt and inefficient leadership. He said the electoral alliance would lead to one-on-one contest between the ruling party and the alliance candidates.
Nawaz said the meeting also demanded that provincial governors appointed on political basis should be removed to pave the way for independent and judicial elections. He said the PPP, fearing defeat, had withdrawn the controversial Sindh Local Government Ordinance, calling it a victory of the people of Sindh.
Responding to a question, Nawaz also told media representatives that if the country wanted to see peace, then negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were necessary. He announced that his party wanted to contest elections in Karachi along with the PML-F, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and other parties.
PML-F chief Pir Pagaro expressed confidence that the alliance would win elections in Sindh. He said the recent power breakdown was a message to the government, asking the chief justice and the army chief to take notice of the incident and hold an enquiry. Lashing out against the PPP, Pagaro criticised its five year rule. He said the PPP’s policies had destroyed Sindh and now the people of the province would reject them as they were angry with the party leadership.
Earlier, National Assembly Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also met with a PML-F delegation at the Kingri House. Both parties agreed to work together with “full cooperation”.