Pakistan Peoples Party has extended an invitation to former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail to join its ranks ahead of the next general election, sources said on Sunday.

Sources said that the invitation has officialy been extended to Ismail and is awaiting his answer.

However, soon after the reports of the invitation emerged, a statement from Ismail said that he had left electoral politics for good.

Ismail added that he was not planning to join any political party for the time being.

The former finance minister was approached by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in October in a meeting with Farooq Sattar. However, the meeting and invitation did not lead to anything.

Ismail is an economist with a PhD from the Wharton School of Business and industrialist based in Karachi.

He had been associated with the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz since 2011 and served as finance minister in Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s cabinet. He served as finance minister again in the Pakistan Democratic Movement government again in 2022 but resigned to make way for Ishaq Dar.

He has since been estranged from the party and has been away from the political scene.