PML-Zia Chief Ijaz ul Haq- File Photo

LAHORE: Chief of Pakistan Muslim League- Zia Ijaz-ul-Haq decided on Tuesday that he was joining Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), DawnNews reported.

Ijaz, son of former military dictator Zia-ul-Haq, said that he would formally announce his decision in a few days after meeting with PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif.

He said that he took this decision because he wanted alliance of the Muslim League. Adding that, he said that he was always part of the Muslim League and will always be.

Ijaz remained federal minister for Labour, Manpower and overseas Pakistanis from 1997- 1999 in Nawaz Sharif's government.He stepped down from the post following differences with Sharif, who was overthrown shortly afterwards by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999.

Forming his own PML splinter faction, Zia-ul-Haq, Ijaz was elected to the National Assembly for a record fourth time in the 2002 general election. Initially allying himself with Musharraf's PML-Q party, he was appointed federal minister for religious affairs.

He lost for the first time in the 2008 general election, and resigned from the PML-Q in February 2010.

His revived PML-Zia upset the Pakistan Peoples Party in Bahawalnagar for Member of the Provincial Assembly in March 2010.

Opinion

Editorial

Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...
Missing in action
17 Mar, 2026

Missing in action

NOT exactly known for playing a proactive role in protecting the interests of Muslim nations and populations...
Risk to stability
Updated 17 Mar, 2026

Risk to stability

THE risks to Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery from the US-Israel war on Iran cannot be dismissed. Yet the...
Enrolment push
17 Mar, 2026

Enrolment push

THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad...