Shehbaz meets Zardari and Bilawal, calls Khalid Maqbool

Even before counting of votes for national and provincial assembly contests was completed, leaders from a number of major political parties held meetings late on Friday night, ostensibly in the hopes of wrangling sufficient numbers to form governments in the Centre and the four provinces.

In a speech on Friday evening, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had announced that he had tasked his brother, former PM Shehbaz Sharif, to reach out to major parties such as PPP, MQM-P and others, to form an alliance.

In this vein, Shehbaz met with PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and his son, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, at the residence of Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi,

“The meeting was a kind of beginning of something big,” said a PPP source, indicating that they discussed the results of the polls and the post-election situation.

“The meeting was a very brief one; it didn’t last very long. Mr Zardari landed in Lahore on Friday evening while Bilawal was already there. The two drove to [Mr Naqvi’s] place where [Shehbaz] was already waiting for their arrival. It was a brief discussion but apparently it ended on a positive note.”

Later, Shehbaz also spoke to MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, senior leader Aminul Haque told Dawn. He said Mr Sharif had phoned them late in the evening, and both sides would hold a meeting “very soon”.

“We are celebrating our victory at Jinnah Ground in Azizabad on Saturday (today). The meeting would be held after that,” he said.

Before the general elections, the MQM-P had announced that it would support Nawaz Sharif as the prime ministerial candidate after elections. However, the dismal performance of the PML-N provided the MQM-P an opportunity to rethink, as Mr Haque refused to comment when reminded about his party’s electoral deal with the N-league.

Separately, MQM-P convener Dr Siddiqui invited all independent candidates who won the elections to join his party.

“Although we don’t have a briefcase our doors are open for all independent candidates,” he told a press conference.