<\/p>\n
In one of the worst-kept secrets, former PTI leader Raja Riaz on Saturday officially joined the PML-N \u2014 the very party against whose government he served as the opposition leader in the National Assembly until August.<\/p>\n
The PML-N announced the development following Riaz\u2019s meeting in London with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and party president Shehbaz Sharif.<\/p>\n
The PML-N said Riaz expressed his \u201ccomplete confidence\u201d in the three-time prime minister\u2019s leadership during their meeting.<\/p>\n
The public announcement of his membership was later made by Shehbaz in a media talk in London. He expressed hope Riaz\u2019s inclusion would lend \u201cgreat strength\u201d to the party.<\/p>\n
Riaz thanked the Sharifs for reposing their trust in him. He said he would play his role in \u201cimproving and enhancing the party, and welcoming Nawaz to Pakistan upon his return\u201d.<\/p>\n
He was appointed<\/a> the opposition leader in the National Assembly in May 2022 following the ouster of the PTI government. He was one of the most prominent PTI dissidents and was expelled<\/a> by the party in August 2023.<\/p>\n Riaz\u2019s joining of the PML-N would surprise only a few \u2014 if any \u2014 as after leading the PTI exodus last year, he had publicly acknowledged that he wished to contest the next elections on a PML-N ticket.<\/p>\n Former PTI colleague Fawad Chaudhry quipped that Riaz had rendered \u201ccountless services\u201d for the previous government in his role as the opposition leader and his membership was only a \u201ctoken of gratitude\u201d.<\/p>\n PTI leader Taimur Jhagra was more direct in his criticism.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In one of the worst-kept secrets, former PTI leader Raja Riaz on Saturday officially joined the PML-N \u2014 the very party against whose government he served as the opposition leader in the National Assembly until August. The PML-N announced the development following Riaz\u2019s meeting in London with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and party president Shehbaz […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2023\/09\/1622360304c8900.png?r=224923","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tRiaz rewarded for rendering \u2018countless services\u2019 to PML-N as opposition leader<\/h2>\n