Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif welcomed senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Faisal Saleh Hayat into the PML-N’s fold during a media talk in Jhang.
The move is perceived as a substantial boost for PML-N as it prepares for the upcoming polls scheduled for February 8, 2024, according to a report by Geo News.
The announcement came as a setback for PPP, which has faced challenges in Punjab recently, a situation attributed by PPP’s Khurshid Ahmed Shah to its alliance with PML-N. The inclusion of Faisal Saleh Hayat into PML-N adds momentum to the party’s electoral prospects in the region.
Rumors had circulated regarding Hayat’s potential departure from the PPP, and speculation intensified when no PPP flags were raised during the filing of his nomination papers for NA-108 and PP-125 ahead of the upcoming elections.
Faisal Saleh Hayat, a seasoned politician, has a storied political career, having been elected to the National Assembly multiple times on the PPP ticket in 1988, 1990, and 1993.
In the 2008 elections, he contested on the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) ticket.
Hayat has held key ministerial positions, including Federal Minister for Commerce (1988-1990), Federal Minister for Interior (2002-2004), Minister for Kashmir Affairs (2004-2007), and Federal Minister for Housing & Works (2011-12).
A founding member of the PPP-Patriot group, Hayat was elected to the upper house of the parliament on its ticket in 2002.
With the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announcing the poll date, political parties have intensified their electioneering efforts. The ECP has received a total of 28,626 nomination papers from candidates across the country, with the scrutinization process concluding on December 30. The list of candidates will be issued on January 11, and withdrawal options will be available until January 12, before the ECP allots electoral symbols on January 13.
