ISLAMABAD, April 8: The People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), two components parties of the ARD, agreed on Wednesday to support each other's candidates in the forthcoming National Assembly by-elections.

A decision to this effect was taken at an emergency meeting of ARD leaders held at the PPP Central Secretariat on Wednesday under the chairmanship of alliance's chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, PPP secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf said.

He told Dawn that the meeting was held on a one-point agenda to finalize candidates for by-elections on Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalnagar seats. Mr Ashraf said the PPP had decided to support PML-N's candidate Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal in Rahimyar Khan and the PML-N would support PPP candidate Mohammad Ali Laleka in Bahawalnagar.

Under a schedule already announced by the Election Commission, by-elections for both the seats will be held on May 12. The seat of Rahimyar Khan had fallen vacant due to resignation by PPP's MNA Zafar Iqbal Warraich and the Bahawalnagar seat due to the death of Abdus Sattar Laleka.

PPP secretary-general Ashraf said Wednesday's meeting decided that the main leadership of the alliance would visit both the constituencies and conduct the election campaigns for the joint candidates.

The meeting was attended by Raja Pervez Ashraf, Punjab PPP president Qasim Zia, ARD secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, PML-N MNA Tehmina Daultana, Punjab PML-N president Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Saranjam Zamindar and PML-N information secretary Mohammad Siddique-ul-Farooque. Next meeting of the ARD leaders will be held in Quetta on April 18.