LAHORE, July 18: Convinced that they would be giving the ruling PML a walkover by contesting the local elections from separate platforms, the PPP, the PML-N, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf decided here on Monday to put up joint candidates in these polls. The first phase of the polls has already started with the aspirants getting nomination forms.

Provincial leaders of the PPP, the PML-N, the MMA and the PTI met at the PML-N Secretariat to discuss the modalities of mutual cooperation.

Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa, Zaeem Husain Qadri, Rana Tanvir Husain, Qasim Zia, Navid Chaudhry, Liaquat Baloch, Hafiz Salman Butt, Maulana Amjad Khan, Admiral Javed Iqbal (retired) and Farooq Mirza were among the participants.

Although these parties have been involved in struggle against the government, so far the PPP has been averse to joining hands with the MMA on various pretexts. It was probably for this reason that MMA’s Liaquat Baloch reportedly thanked the PML-N for its efforts to bring the PPP and the religious alliance leaders across the table and discuss electoral cooperation.

Until recently, various parties have been insisting that they would put up their candidates on all union council seats, although cooperation at the higher tiers would be possible.

The participants decided that they would field joint candidates at all tiers to defeat the government-backed contestants.

This means leaders of these parties would have to work very hard during the next few days to choose strong candidates who could give a tough competition to their rivals from the ruling party.

It is a challenging task for the opposition parties to choose consensus candidates, a participant said after the meeting. He said local leaders might find it difficult at some places to select candidates as everyone in the race regarded himself stronger than others.

District presidents and secretaries of the parties would make adjustments and monitor the elections, said PPP’s Navid Chaudhry.

In case they failed, the matter would be settled by the provincial leadership. The PPP leader said the committee would also ensure that nobody violated the Code of Conduct and party discipline.

The PPP leader alleged the ruling party was already violating the rules of the game as the prime minister and various chief ministers were addressing public meetings.