- Written by Sean Seddon and Farhat Javed, BBC Urdu
- BBC News
image source, Getty Images
The PMLN did not win the February 8 elections but struck an agreement to return to power.
Pakistan's two political parties have reached a formal agreement to form a new government after a contentious election.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) jointly announced that it would form a new government with support from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
Both parties won fewer seats than candidates loyal to former prime minister Imran Khan, who was jailed on February 8.
Regarding X, Khan's PTI party accused the coalition government of being a “mission thief”.
His movement claims the vote was rigged to keep his supporters out of power.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardaro said, “The purpose of the coalition government is to address the economic crisis in the country.”
Former prime minister and PMLN chairman Shahbaz Sharif promised “collective action to address economic and other challenges.”
The deal means Sharif is on track to become prime minister for a second time with the support of his junior coalition partners, while the PPP's Asif Ali Zardari will be the coalition's presidential candidate. .
Former Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is on track to return to power after reaching an agreement with a smaller party.
The process for selecting the prime minister includes a parliamentary vote, which is expected to take place by the end of February. Another election to decide the next president will be held in the coming weeks.
It remains unclear who will fill other key government positions.
A contentious parliamentary election held earlier this month yielded inconclusive results.
In a shocking result, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) The candidates they support have emerged as the single largest bloc.
However, their 93 seats in parliament fell short of the overall majority of 169 needed to form a government.
This paved the way for the PMLN, led by another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to enter into negotiations with the PPP.
The PMLN won 75 seats and the PPP came in third with 54 seats, but support from smaller parties is expected and the coalition is expected to be allotted seats reserved for women and representatives of religious minorities. The partners will have enough support in Congress to govern.
PTI is challenging the results in court and its supporters are holding protests across the country.
Social media has been disrupted across the United States in recent days amid protests. Internet access monitoring group Netblocks announced on Tuesday that access to X (formerly Twitter) remained restricted for many people.
