Khaqan Abbasi reaches out to Bilawal for support in Karachi's NA-249 seat

KARACHI: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has on Saturday called on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto ahead of by-poll on Karachi’s NA 249 by-polls to seek support, ARY News reported.

According to the details on the meeting, the two opposition leaders discussed the impending NA-249 seat elections, which fell vacant after ruling party’s Faisal Vawda relinquished it for his Senate seat.

It may be noted that PML-N’s Shahbaz Sharif contended for this seat in general elections 2018 and after a close call, lost to Vawda.

In the follow-up, Abbasi reached out to Bilawal for his party’s support in the by-polls in which PML-N has fielded the former finance minister Miftah Ismael.

Bilawal has, however, told Abbasi that he’d revert to the proposition once he’s consulted with party leadership. The meeting was also attended by senators Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar and the by-polls candidate Ismael.

READ: Nawaz Sharif refuses to answer Asif Zardari’s call: sources

Separately today, the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif refused to answer Asif Ali Zardari’s call after a heated meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PMD), claimed sources privy to the development.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari made a telephone call to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo, Nawaz Sharif after the PDM meeting to discuss the future strategy, but he reportedly refused to answer the call despite being at home.