LAHORE, May 21: The PML-N and the JUP have decided to work together on all political fronts.

The decision was taken after a JUP delegation, led by Awais Noorani, called on PML-N President Nawaz Sharif here on Monday.

Both sides also agreed to form a six-man committee for mutual consultations and forming future strategies.

The PML-N will be represented by former Sindh governor Mamnoon Husain, Senator Mushahidullah Khan and MNA Khwaja Saaf Rafiq while besides Awais Noorani, Pir Ijaz Hashmi and Qari Zawwar Bahadur will be representing the JUP.

The political cooperation is significant in the Karachi perspective where the JUP has some pockets of support, although the Sunni Tehrik is fast claiming this space, and the PML-N is looking for partners to make its presence felt in the Sindh province.

Mr Hashmi says his party is trying to cobble together almost all groups of Barelvi school of thought, barring those having militant ideology, to augment its political worth.

The leader of the JUP, which has so far been seeking revival of the now dormant religious alliance MMA or at least go with the Jamaat-i-Islami, says his party will try to take along other MMA constituents with the PML-N.

He said had Qazi Husain Ahmed been JI chief, either the MMA would have been revived by now or talks of cooperation with the PML-N would have entered final stages.

He felt that present JI Amir Syed Munawwar Hasan had not matured himself as a politician and keeping in view his fiery speeches, he still seemed to be a student leader.

Mamnoon Husain told Dawn by phone from Karachi that the JI as well as Sunni Tehrik would also give a positive response to the cooperation offer.

He hoped nationalist forces in Sindh would also side with the PML-N as meetings with them so far had been very encouraging.