Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Barrister Gohar Khan has announced that independent candidates backed by the party will formally join the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in the National Assembly (NA) and provinces such as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The development comes a day after PTI senior leaders Barrister Gohar and Omar Ayub, as well as SIC chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza, paid a visit to the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Central Secretariat in Islamabad and discussed the possibility of closer cooperation in parliament and at the provincial level.
MWM Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri, Vice Chairman Allama Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi, and others were in attendance.
The summit addressed the country's political situation and key concerns in the aftermath of the recently held elections and their results.
The party, which was unable to actively participate in elections owing to the non-allotment of electoral symbol, seeks a share of reserved seats for women and minorities through the platform of other like-minded parties.
Barrister Gohar told a joint news conference in Islamabad that PTI-backed independent candidates must join any party within three days of the issue of notification under the law.
He stated that the decision to join SIC was unanimous, and he demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allocate PTI reserved seats in accordance with the law.
The PTI's top leader stated that the party will also submit documents to the ECP about this matter today.
During the press conference, the PTI leader maintained the rigging allegations, claiming that his party won 180 NA seats in the February 8 elections.
However, the ECP's results show that PTI-backed candidates have won up to 92 seats in the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, PTI's PM candidate, Omar Ayub, stated that his party will form the government at the Center.
"Our first task will be to ensure the release of PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi [after forming the government]."
SIC head Sahibzada Hamid Raza told the media that the decision to create an alliance with the PTI was made with the consent of detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan.