LAHORE: PPP and PML-Q, while maintaining their alliance, will field joint candidates in the upcoming by-election as well as in the general election.

The Punjab PPP President and State Minister Imtiaz Safdar Warraich and PML-Q leader Kamil Ali Agha stated this, while briefing the media after a meeting of PPP and PML-Q leaders held at the residence of Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

They said that Federal Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Federal Minister Rana Farooq Saeed, State Minister Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Haider Zaman Qureshi and MPA Aamir Dogar represented the PPP, while Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, PML-Q Parliamentary Leader in Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, Kamil Ali Agha, Raja Basharat, Nasir Gil and Tariq Bashir Cheema were from PML-Q.

Imtiaz Safdar Warraich said that both sides discussed in detail all the seats and the candidates for the upcoming by-election to be held in Lahore, Sahiwal, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jehlum etc.

Warraich said that both the parties had also pledged to defeat the PML-N in the elections by taking all decisions in this regard with mutual consensus and launching a joint election campaign as well.

The PML-Q's Kamil Ali Agha said that both the parties were very much serious and sincere in maintaining their alliance, and had discussed the election alliance in a cordial manner.

To a question, he said, the meeting discussed the alliance for the general election and by-election in particular, as the latter was around the corner, and that “Both are striving to win the election.”

Kamil Ali Agha said the meeting had developed a consensus over the joint candidates for the by-election. However the parties leadership would make announcements to this effect.