LAHORE: In a bid to make its presence felt outside Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is looking for electoral cooperation with players other than the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Karachi.

PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif has just completed his second tour of the port city in the last 10 days where he held meetings with leaders of MQM, ANP and MMA, besides addressing a couple of public meetings.

A party official said that after continuous refusals by PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari to join hands “in the larger interest of democracy”, the N League has decided to give as much tough time as possible to the former president in urban as well as rural Sindh.

PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif was briefed late on Sunday evening by Federal Climate Change Minister Mushahidullah Khan about the so far achievements made during the Punjab chief minister’s two visits, the official said.

Keeping in view the talks so far held with various political figures in Karachi, joining of the N League by some politically influential businessmen and success of Shahbaz’ public meetings held at a very short notice, the party hopes to win a couple of seats from the Sindh capital, he said.

The official claimed some MQM sector in-charges who are not with any faction of the Karachi-based outfit have also joined the party improving stakes of the ruling party among the Urdu-speaking community.

He said Khichhi and Hazara communities are also siding with the PML-N in the port city saying they would feel themselves safer when Nawaz Sharif was in power.

Talking to Dawn by phone, the minister confirmed that their party was seeking political cooperation with political players in Karachi but he personally believed that this cooperation would be confined to seat adjustments and won’t develop into any kind of alliance.

Mushahidullah Khan denied that any deliberate attempt was being made to hit the PPP through this cooperation but he saw tough times for Mr Zardari even in interior Sindh where Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and others were going to form a strong anti-PPP alliance.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2018