The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have forged a power-sharing agreement to establish a coalition government led by former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, potentially sidelining their adversary Imran Khan following controversial elections.
Both the PML-N and the PPP secured fewer seats in Parliament compared to candidates supported by incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan in elections tainted by allegations of vote rigging. Imran Khan, ineligible to contest the February 8 elections due to his convictions, including corruption charges, has been barred from holding public office for a decade.
In a joint press conference following extensive negotiations, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, aged 72, would once again assume the role of Prime Minister. Similarly, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, aged 68, will be the joint nominee for the presidency.
Last week, in an unexpected move, the PML-N announced that its leader and three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had nominated his younger brother Shehbaz as the candidate for prime minister. Despite Nawaz's confidence in securing a fourth term, the party failed to garner sufficient seats to form a government independently.
"I had offered independent candidates to form the government first as nobody had a clear mandate; now we have the required number," Sharif remarked, expressing determination to steer the country towards development and progress.
Bilawal refrained from disclosing the exact number of lawmakers the alliance commands in the National Assembly. However, he affirmed that the PPP and PML-N have obtained the necessary support to form the government.
In order to secure a majority in the 266-member National Assembly, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats.
Bilawal asserted that Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to secure a simple majority in Parliament.
Reacting sharply to the PML-N and PPP's coalition efforts, Imran Khan's party rejected their bid, warning that manipulating the public's mandate would lead to severe political instability.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking new elections over alleged irregularities in the February 8 polls, clearing the path for the coalition government's formation.
Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to Bilawal and Zardari for their collaboration, emphasizing their commitment to restoring the country's economy and combating terrorism. He assured that the coalition government would not disappoint the people of Pakistan.
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