LAHORE - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday contacted former president asif ali Zardari and Jamiat ulema-e-Islam (JuI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on telephone and discussed with them the prevailing political and economic situation, it has been learnt. The prime minister reportedly also took the coalition partners into confidence about the decisions taken in the recent meeting of the national security committee. The three leaders agreed to call a meeting of the coalition parties soon to evolve consensus on how to move forward in the wake of pressing economic problems amid a surge in incidents of terrorism. according to sources, Shehbaz Sharif also discussed the Punjab situation with asif ali Zardari against the backdrop of a vote of confidence to be obtained by Chief Minister Parvez Elahi from the Punjab assembly. The PTI and the PML-Q alliance is planning to call an assembly session this week to enable the chief minister to show majority in the House before the next date of court hearing on January 11. It may be recalled here that Parvaiz Elahi had challenged the governor’s order in the Lahore High Court instead of seeking a vote of confidence from the Assembly. He had, however, given an undertaking to the court that he would not give advice to the governor for dissolution of the Punjab Assembly till the next hearing of the case. Meanwhile, members of the Punjab Assembly Chaudhary Ashraf Ali Ansari and Malik Ghulam Qasim Hunjra separately called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and apprised him of the local politics in their constituencies. During the meetings, the political situation in Punjab province was also discussed with reference to the anticipated confidence vote to be obtained by the chief minister. Also, another MPA from Punjab, Allauddin Shaikh, separately called on the prime minister. Issues relating to local politics and the Punjab situation came under discussion. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday reiterated his stance that he would use his energy and time to get the people out of difficulties in the new year. He resolved to rehabilitate flood victims and put Pakistan on the path to growth and stability. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister observed that 2022 was yet another tough year for Pakistan as the worst flooding in history aggravated the economic challenges. In another related tweet, the prime minister gave a message to the resilient Pakistani nation by saying that together they would bounce back. In 2022, he said, one-third of Pakistan paid the heavy price due to climate change and for no fault of theirs.