Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday hinted that his Pakistan Muslim League- N party may not be averse to an alliance with Benazir Bhutto's [Images] Pakistan People's Party in the forthcoming general elections.

Addressing a news conference, where he insisted that the polls must be held on time on January 8, Sharif said he was ready to get together with Bhutto's party for the cause of democracy.

Sharif said he saw no harm if the PML-N and the PPP came together to fight dictatorship.

The development is interesting since there was no talk of an alliance between the two parties till Bhutto was alive.

Sharif also said that at this critical juncture and in times of crisis, PPP and the people of Sindh would not be left alone.

To a question, Sharif said that the PML-N and the PPP can explore the possibility of a coalition government after the elections.

Sharif said the PML-N had decided to boycott elections to express solidarity with the PPP following Bhutto's assassination. But it reversed the decision after Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders appealed to the PML-N to take part in the elections.