ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Syed Khursheed Shah on Tuesday said his party will not take PTI-backed independent candidates onboard to increase its strength in the National Assembly. 

“We will only contact independent candidates, not PTI-backed ones,” Khrushed Shah said in an exclusive interview with a private news channel.

Shah underlined the need to respect the people’s mandate after the general elections 2024 and urged political parties against the inclusion of PTI-backed independent candidates.

“PPP is not interested in increasing its mandate by stealing others.”

Replying to a question, the former federal minister said Nawaz Sharif had lost the election and it was not morally right for him to become prime minister for the fourth time.

The PPP leader invited all the parties for talks after the split mandate in the elections for the sake of the country’s betterment.

On Monday, five independent candidates, who won elections on February 8, joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

According to details, Sardar Shamsher Mazari, who won the NA-189 seat as an independent candidate joined PML-N after meeting the party’s president Shahbaz Sharif.

Imran Akram, MPA-elect from PP-195, Sohail Khan, PP-240, Khizar Hussain Mazari, PP-297 and Sahibzada Muhammad Gazain Abbasi, MPA-elect from PP-249 joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.