PPP to support PML-N in Senate by-polls

LAHORE: The Pakistan Peoples Party has formally announced supporting the PML-N in the Punjab Senate by-elections scheduled for November 15. Hassan Murtaza announced the decision after receiving a go-ahead from PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The PPP has seven MPAs in the House whereas the PML-N is the largest opposition party with 167 seats. Jointly, these two constitute 174 members. On the other hand, the PTI stands with 180 MPAs as the party with largest number of seats in the House and its ally the PML-Q has 10 MPAs. Apparently, the ruling coalition seems in a comfortable position to win the Senate by-polls, but the PML-N has fielded former parliamentarians Saud Majeed and Saira Afzal Tarar who also have strong connections with MPAs and any upset couldn’t be ruled out. The seats have fallen vacant after the disqualification of PML-N’s Haroon Akhter Khan and Saadia Abbasi over dual nationality.