LAHORE, April 20: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has forged an alliance with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Swad-i-Azam (JUP-SeA) in Punjab and has offered three Punjab Assembly (PA) constituencies to the Brelvi sect party.

“Our three candidates will contest elections for PP-120, PP-133 and PP-146 on the PML-N symbol of lion,” Syed Shahid Husain Gardezi, a spokesman for the party, told Dawn.

JUP-SeA candidates Pir Mahfooz Shah Mushahdi, Maulana Ghiasuddin Ansari and Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad Sharqpuri will contest elections for PP-120 (Mandi Bahauddin), PP-133 (Narowal) and PP-146 (Sheikhupura).

When asked why the party did not contest elections with its party’s symbol, Gardezi said they did not want to confuse voters on the issue of symbol.

He said Mushahdi had demanded seven seats, but the PML-N offered only three to the JUP.

He said parties such as the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and the Markazi Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith were seeking seat adjustment with the PML-N. “The Nawaz League only obliged us,” he added.

PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid said his party had also made seat adjustment with the Jamaat-i-Islami in a Bahawalpur constituency where JI Punjab Amir Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar was the candidate. Similarly, the PML-N had also made alliances with religious parties in Sindh province.

“We have also made seat adjustment with the MJAH on a couple of seats in Punjab,” he added.

The JI rejected statement of Rashid. “JI candidate Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar is contesting elections in Bahawalpur on his party’s ticket. There is no question of seat adjustment with the PML-N in any constituency of Pakistan,” JI leader Farhan Ahmad told Dawn.