Pakistan elections news: Shehbaz Sharif set to be PM as coalition govt talks conclude; What happens to Imran Khan?

In a joint news conference late on Tuesday night, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, 72, is set to assume the role of the Prime Minister once again. At the same time, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, 68, is slated to become the country's President again.

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"The PPP and PML-N have achieved the required number, and [now] we are in a position to form the government," Bilawal told reporters. He said former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party-backed candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority in Parliament to form government in the Centre.

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 February 8 elections. 

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Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz Sharif asserted that his PML-N now has the "required numbers" with the PPP to be in a position to form the next government as he thanked the leadership of the two parties for the positive conclusion to the talks.

Sharif also emphasised the unity between the two parties, noting that they were well-positioned to form the government at the Centre, as reported by The Express Tribune newspaper. 

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In the National Assembly elections, Independent candidates - a majority backed by 71-year-old Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party -- won 93 National Assembly seats. The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats. To form a government, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly or the lower house of Parliament.

(With PTI inputs)

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Published: 21 Feb 2024, 06:51 AM IST