Seat adjustment with IPP yet to be discussed: PMLN

GUJRANWALA: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) leader Khurram Dastgir Khan on Tuesday said that seat adjustment with the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) would be possible but their “big agenda” was still to be discussed.

Speaking about the IPP’s purported demand for a multitude of constituencies, including some important ones, Dastgir said that decisive negotiations could not take place after the Jahangir Tareen-led party made a huge demand.

“The party will discuss where they have to give them [IPP] space after making final decision on tickets,” said the PMLN leader, after talks between both parties reached an impasse as the Shehbaz Sharif-led party is not eager to make an alliance on a multitude of its seats.

The News had reported citing sources that the IPP had called for adjustment on 50 provincial assembly seats and 26 National Assembly seats, as the talks between the two political parties continue without making any major breakthrough.

The PML-N was not ready for an alliance on the seats where its top leaders will contest, the sources had said. They had added that the party was not willing to form an alliance on tons of other seats as well.

Dastgir said there was no pressure to accommodate the IPP in Punjab. They would like to take other parties too along with them, he maintained. “We aim to create political stability in the upcoming assemblies, for this we will make seat adjustments,” he added.

Speaking about the delimitations by the ECP, Dastgir said that his party had reservations over new delimitations across the country.

Taking a dig at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Dastgir said it was a pity that the issue of cipher was also subjected to politics and level-playing field rhetoric. He said it was the electoral body’s job to decide about the PTI’s electoral symbol. Nevertheless, the party had the option to move court, he added.