LAHORE: A delegation led by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif met with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House, Lahore.

The joint statement issued by the parties revealed that the meeting focused on the prospects of forging an alliance to govern the country. PML-N sought cooperation from PPP in forming the government.

In response, the PPP leadership informed the PML-N leaders that the proposal would be deliberated upon in the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, scheduled for Monday.

The statement highlighted that the meeting addressed the overall situation in the country and explored avenues for political cooperation in the future. Both PML-N and PPP agreed in principle on the idea of political cooperation with the objective of stabilizing the country’s political landscape.

The parties emphasized their commitment to “save the country” from political instability, signaling a shared objective amidst the evolving political scenario.

It’s worth noting that PML-N and PPP were pivotal members of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of several parties that successfully ousted the Imran Khan-led government in April 2022 and governed the country for the subsequent 16 months.

The recent negotiations between political parties have commenced following the near completion of poll results for almost all constituencies of the National Assembly. The February 8 general elections witnessed significant participation across the country, with citizens exercising their right to vote to elect representatives for national and provincial assemblies across 855 constituencies.

Despite being the largest single party in the parliament with 79 seats, PML-N lacks a clear majority and cannot form the government independently. Consequently, it seeks the support of other political parties or independent candidates. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidates, on the other hand, hold a dominant position with 93 seats in the National Assembly.