ISLAMABAD: In a significant political development, Saifuddin Khosa, a senior leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N, has joined the Pakistan People’s Party.

Mr Khosa made the announcement at a joint press conference with PPP leaders Faryal Talpur, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Jehangir Badr and Makhdoom Shahabuddin here on Wednesday.

“I joined the PPP only because it is sincere about Bahawalpur province whereas the PML-N is using delaying tactics,” Mr Khosa said.

He belongs to one of the influential political families in Punjab. His father Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa is an important leader of the PML-N and his younger brother Dost Mohammad Khosa has served as Punjab’s chief minister.

Political leaders changing party affiliation has been a common phenomenon before elections.

Relations between the Khosas and the Sharifs have been strained over the past two to three years. Last year, Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa had quit the N-League but he was persuaded by Nawaz Sharif to change his decision.

Dost Mohammad Khosa quit the party membership on August 3 last year and severely criticised Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s style of governance at a press conference.

Saifuddin Khosa said that five or six members of his family were in different assemblies and he would meet them and persuade them to join the PPP to safeguard the interests of the people of southern Punjab.

When asked about the Punjab government’s claim that it had spent billions of rupees for development in Bahawalpur in the recent past, he said only Rs3 billion was spent in two years under a special package. On the other hand, he said, Rs40 billion was being spent on a single development project in Lahore.

Faryal Talpur, sister of President Asif Ali Zardari, praised Mr Khosa’s decision and said it would strengthen the PPP in Punjab.