ISLAMABAD: The top US diplomat in Pakistan, Ambassador Donald Blome, held a series of meetings with the country’s leading political figures on Saturday, as general elections scheduled for February of next year draw closer.

Blome visited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his Lahore residence to discuss the bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States.

Sharif, convicted by an accountability court for 10 years on corruption allegations, returned to Pakistan last month after a four-year self-exile in London.

The ex-premier, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party deems all cases against him politically motivated, left the country in an air ambulance in 2019 after being released from prison on eight-week medical bail.

Since his return, it is widely said that Sharif has been viewed by the powerful security establishment of Pakistan as the preferred candidate for the country’s top political office.

“The Quaid [leader] PML-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif emphasized the significance of Pakistan’s relations with the United States,” his party said in a statement released on social media following the meeting. “He particularly recalled his various interactions with the U.S. leaders where both sides had always acknowledged the importance of Pakistan-U.S. ties.”

Sharif and Blome discussed the bilateral ties and cooperation on multilateral matters of mutual interest between Pakistan and the US.

“Both the leaders acknowledged the importance of steadfast and sturdy partnership between the two countries,” the statement added. “They recognized the importance of exploring avenues to boost cooperation and building on the successful outcomes that underpin the robust U.S-Pakistan bilateral relationship.”

They also deliberated over a number of diverse issues related to trade, economy, climate change, security and regional stability.

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Blome also met Jahangir Khan Tareen, the patron-in-chief of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party, discussing economic reforms.

Tareen, once a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, established his own political faction, potentially undermining the vote banks of Khan and Sharif’s political parties in Punjab province.

The US ambassador met Pakistan Peoples Party’s Yousuf Raza Gilani in Multan to discuss a broad spectrum of issues.