ISLAMABAD, July 8: The leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the People's Party Parliamentarians met here on Thursday in an effort to resolve differences and finalize a joint candidate for the by-election in Attock against Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Sources said the PML-N parliamentary leader in the Senate, Ishaq Dar, called on Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani and discussed the strategy for the by-elections.

PPP General Secretary Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, who submitted his nomination papers with five other ARD candidates for the Attock by-polls on Thursday, told Dawn that the parties of the alliance were in contact with each other and the name of a joint candidate would be announced on Saturday.

Mr Ashraf said he had found strong resentment among the people in Attock over the government's move to field Mr Aziz from the constituency. He said the people considered Mr Aziz an "outsider".

He was hopeful that differences between the PPP and the PML-N would be removed and the alliance would be successful in finalizing a joint candidate. Mr Fahim expressed the hope that a joint candidate of the alliance would contest the election in Attock.

PML-N Information Secretary Siddiqul Farooque said there were indications that the ARD would be able to field a joint candidate. He said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had contacted PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq and expressed its desire to have a long-term cooperation with the party.

However, he said, the PML-N had informed the MMA that the final decision in this regard would be taken on the ARD platform. Senator Raza Rabbani, when contacted, said the MMA had not made any contact with the ARD.