PM steps up backdoor contacts with PTI’S coalition partners for Senate polls

Islamabad    –  As the timeline of Senate election is nearing, Prime Minister Imran Khan has stepped up backdoor contacts with PTI’s coalition partners to lead the Upper House which at present has Opposition’s majority.

According to well informed sources, Prime Minister has recently contacted Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi of Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) and both leaders have agreed to meet soon to decide the strategy about the Senate elections to be held in March.

It is further learnt that Prime Minister had also taken PTI’s key leaders in Punjab including Punjab Governor, Chief Minister and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi before engaging the PML-Q leadership.

Prime Minister, informed sources wants to secure maximum votes from the Punjab Assembly to increase strength of the PTI-ruling alliance in the Upper House.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had decided to strengthen PTI’s coalition partners after launching of 11-parties Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in October.

He engaged leadership of PML-Q in November last year in a gesture to strengthen the ruling coalition when he called to inquire about the health of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

According to political observers the Prime Minister’s move was timely to break ice for resetting relations between his party PTI and PML-Q.

Informed sources further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would also contact the leadership of coalition partners from Sindh including MQM- Pakistan and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) to evolve a joint strategy in the Sindh Assembly for the forthcoming Senate elections.

He is also understood have discussed the Senate polls with PTI’s coalition partner in Balochistan Assembly Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

On the other hand, some sources said that main Opposition parties Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan Peoples Party, main component of PDM have agreed not to any stone unturned in taking full advantage in the Senate polls in order to retain Opposition majority.

Half of members of 104 members Upper House are due to retire in first week of March leaving the political arena open for election in the second week of the same month.