PML-N, PPP agree to form government in Centre

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have finally reached an agreement on forming a government in Centre as both parties have agreed on a ‘power-sharing formula’ following days of negotiations, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

“PPP and PML-N have achieved the required number and [now] we are in a position to form the government in Centre,” PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said while addressing a joint press conference at Zardari House in Islamabad.

Bilawal Bhutto pointed out that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority to form government in the Centre.

He said that that both parties are going to form the coalition government and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif will once again be the country’s prime minister, praying that they would succeed in solving the problems of Pakistan.

Bilawal also said that the PML-N would support his father Asif Ali Zardari for the president’s slot. “Asif Zardari would be our joint candidate for president,” he said, adding that they all want to work according to the hopes of the people.

Speaking on the occasion, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif said that his party now has the “required numbers” with the PPP to be in a position to form the next government, acknowledging the ‘efforts’ of dialogue committees for the positive conclusion to the talks.

Shehbaz said the journey ahead for the next government will not be easy but one fraught with many difficulties and obstacles but the coalition alliance will tackle them together.

“We already invited the independent members, who emerged victorious in majority, to form government,” he said. However, he noted, they failed to achieve numbers despite joining hands with MWM and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

He also thanked other allied parties such as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) in this regard.

For his party, PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said the struggle of the political alliance bidding to make the next government is for the sake of the country and future generations.

Power-Sharing formula

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto refused to share the power-sharing formula and said the details of the sharing of key constitutional offices between the PPP and PML-N will come at a later date.

Responding to a question, Shehbaz Sharif said that the PPP hasn’t demanded any ministry from the first day.

“Parleys take place between two parties and issues are resolved through mutual consultation. It doesn’t mean that we accept their demands or they accept ours; they have their views but reaching a middle point is the real political success,” he added.

Sources told ARY News that PPP would not become party of the federal cabinet, while Senate Chairman and Governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) would be from Bilawal-led party.

Furthermore, sources claimed that PML-N would get the posts of National Assembly (NA) speaker and Governors of Sindh and Balochistan.

Elections 2024

Political stakeholders were making efforts to forge alliances and secure 169 seats in the 336-member lower house of parliament.

PTI-backed Independent candidates consolidated their lead in the Pakistan general elections 2024 over mainstream political parties, especially in the National and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies, throughout the result announcement process.

According to the results announced so far, PTI-backed independent candidates have managed to win 92 seats. PML-N is in the second position with 79 seats, while the PPP has won 54 seats.

The MQM-P won in 17 constituencies, JUI-F in four, and PML-Q in three, while IPP and BNP won two seats each.

Following the general elections, both the PML-N and PPP had formed committees to decide the terms and conditions for the next federal government.

Initially, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto was eyeing the slot of the prime minister but later pull out himself of the race. He had unequivocally announced that his father, PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, should be given the coveted slot of the country’s president.

Although the PML-N candidate for PM slot was Nawaz Sharif, the party later changed its mind. It later nominated its president and Nawaz’s younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, for the premier’s position to lead a new alliance.