Following a meeting with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and top PML-N cadre on Sunday, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed announced that he would join Sharif in his "struggle to restore the sanctity of vote and supremacy of democracy".

The meeting, held at Sharif's Jati Umra residence, was attended by Railways Minister Saad Rafique, Senator Pervez Rasheed and Maryam Nawaz, among others.

Sources said the PML-N president and former prime minister invited him to join the party and "return home" — an invitation which was reportedly accepted by Syed who said that he will be a part of the struggle for "supremacy of the Constitution".

He also praised Sharif's successes in bringing stability to the country, and in development and defence.

Syed, who is set to retire from his Senate seat next month, is also likely to be re-elected on a PML-N ticket, sources claimed.

Profile

Syed had an illustrious career as a journalist before he entered the political realm as a member of PML-N. He was appointed information minister by Nawaz Sharif in the latter’s 1997 cabinet.

In 1999, following the coup by former president general retired Pervez Musharraf, Mushahid's house was stormed by soldiers the very same day and he was placed under house arrest and then behind bars. He was released in 2000 following which he defected to PML-Q.

Eventually, he contested the 2003 Senate election on a PML-Q ticket and won. He also become a staunch supporter of Musharraf and even agreed with the latter’s decision to not shed his uniform.

He successfully contested election for the Parliament’s upper house again in 2012 and is the current chairman of the Senate's Defence Committee and has served as chairman of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir and Northern Areas.