The PPP on Wednesday announced that it would support PML-N’s candidates who will take part in the upcoming by-elections on the 20 vacant seats of the Punjab Assembly. The seats had fallen vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had de-seated PTI’s dissident lawmakers for voting against party policy. The polling will take place on July 17, as per the ECP schedule that was issued on May 26. Meanwhile, the nomination papers for the by-elections can be submitted from June 4 to 7 and this will be followed by the returning officers carrying out scrutiny of the nomination papers till June 11. However, the appeals against the returning officers’ decisions can be filed till June 15. “In view of the country’s interest, the PPP has decided to support the PML-N’s candidate for all the 20 vacant seats,” PPP provincial minister Hassan Murtaza said while addressing a joint press conference flanked by PML-N’s Attaullah Tarar and Malik Ahmad Khan. Both the parties, however, will remain political rivals during the next general elections, clarified the PPP’s leader. However, the PPP’s candidates will withdraw their nomination papers for the upcoming by-elections on the seats. On his part, PML-N’s Malik Ahmad vowed that they will jointly inflict defeat on PTI during the upcoming by-polls on all the 20 seats. Tarar said that there were coalition governments in Punjab and the centre, adding that the consensus and unity will be maintained in the future as well. He maintained that they were united not only on the front of elections but also on the governance. Responding to a question, the PML-N minister warned that they will take strict action against those who will take the law into their hands.