File photo of a meeting between Fazlur Rehman and Nawaz Sharif
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Nawaz Sharif met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday for the second time in as many weeks, with their discussions revolving around the upcoming general elections and their respective parties’ cooperation in them.
While neither the PMLN nor the JUIF issued any statement after the meeting, sources within the parties said Sharif and Fazl had agreed to jointly contest the Feb. 8, 2024 polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh.
While the PMLN has repeatedly expressed confidence of securing a majority in its Punjab stronghold, it appears less certain about its chances in the rest of the country. Consequently, it has ramped up efforts to secure electoral alliances to bolster its ability to form the next government. As part of these efforts, the PMLN has sought seat adjustment with JUIF in KP—a stronghold of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)—as well as an alliance in Balochistan. Earlier, the party announced it had forged an alliance with the JUIF, MQMP and GDA in Sindh to counter the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which has been ruling the province for the past 15 years.
Monday’s meeting also came after a JUIF spokesperson announced last week that Fazl was a candidate for the next president in light of his status as the leader of the erstwhile Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance. However, PMLN spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has claimed the matter did not come up for discussion in this meeting.
The meeting, at the PMLN’s secretariat, also included the participation of party President Shehbaz Sharif; chief organizer Maryam Nawaz; former MNAs Khawaja Asif and Saad Rafique; and others.