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PPP, PML-N strike power-sharing deal in Pak; Shehbaz Sharif to be PM again

To form a government, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly

Today, the almighty has saved Pakistan and the 22 crore people of the country. This is the first time when the vote of no-confidence motion was successfully passed. The people of this country will celebrate this day: Shehbaz Sharif

Bilawal said Imran Khan's PTI party-backed independent candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority in Parliament to form a government

Press Trust of India Islamabad

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The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party have struck a power-sharing deal to form a coalition government led by ex-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, a move that could effectively keep their arch-rival Imran Khan out of power after the controversial elections.

Both the PML-N and the PPP won fewer seats in Parliament than candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan in an election mired in controversies, including vote rigging. Khan, who could not contest the February 8 elections due to his convictions in some cases, including that of corruption, has been barred from holding any public office for 10 years.

 

At a joint news conference here late Tuesday night after marathon negotiations, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, 72, will assume the role of the prime minister once again.

Similarly, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, 68, will be the joint candidate for the president's office.

Last week, the PML-N, in a surprise move, announced that the party supremo and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif has nominated his younger brother Shehbaz as a candidate for the slot of prime minister. Nawaz, 74, was earlier confident of securing a record fourth term. However, his party failed to win enough seats to form a government on its own.

I had offered the independent candidates to form the government first as nobody had a clear mandate; now we have the required number, Sharif said. It would not be an easy ride. We will work together to bring this country on the path of development and progress, Shehbaz Sharif, also the president of the PML-N said.

"The PPP and PML-N have achieved the required number, and (now) we are in a position to form the government," Bilawal told reporters without revealing the number of lawmakers they have in the National Assembly after the elections.

To form a government, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.

Bilawal said Imran Khan's PTI party-backed independent candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority in Parliament to form a government.

Bilawal hoped that the news of the political alliance with the PML-N to form a coalition government would lead to a positive market response as the cash-strapped country faced a hung Parliament after the elections.

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First Published: Feb 21 2024 | 11:33 PM IST

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