No party has won a single majority in the National Assembly elections in Pakistan. As a result, the formation of a coalition government is considered certain. The main political parties have already started discussions for that purpose.
Following this, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) reached an agreement with Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P).
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party PML-N won 76 seats in the National Assembly. And Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui's MQM-P got 17 seats. According to the report of Dawn, the leaders of PML-N and MQM-P sat in a meeting in Lahore on Sunday (February 11) morning.
A statement from Nawaz Sharif's party later said that after an hour-long meeting, the leaders of the two parties reached a "primary consensus" to work together to form a coalition government. The statement said, we will work together in the interest of the country and the people.
According to reports, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were present on behalf of PML-N in the meeting. Also present were Ishaq Dar, Maryam Nawaz, Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafique. Khalid Maqbul Siddiqui was on behalf of MQM, Dr. Farooq Sattar, Kamran Tesori and Mustafa Kamal.
Voting for the national elections in Pakistan ended last Thursday (February 8). Voting was held in 265 seats (one postponed) out of 266 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of the country's parliament.
Results for up to 255 seats were declared till Saturday. The results of 9 of the remaining 10 constituencies were announced on Sunday (February 11) around noon.
The Election Commission has announced that the result has been suspended in one seat. Out of total 264 seats, independent candidates won 101 seats. Almost all of them support Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is more active in the formation of the government despite being ahead in the field of elections.
The PML-N said last Saturday (February 10) that it had reached a "preliminary consensus" with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on forming a coalition government.
However, Bilawal rejected PML-N's claim in an interview to Geo News on the same day. He said that there has been no formal discussion with PML-N or PTI or any other party yet.
PML-N and PPP formed a coalition government after the ouster of Imran Khan's government in 2022 through a vote of no confidence. But now the PPP seems to be taking a cautious stance regarding the formation of the coalition government.
Party leaders are cautiously discussing a possible power-sharing deal. In some cases, confidentiality is also maintained. The formation of a coalition government in Punjab and Balochistan is also under discussion.
Dawn reported that on Sunday (February 11), the activities of leaders of various parties will be seen more in Lahore and Islamabad. It is expected that PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari will attend some important meetings to discuss the proposed alliance formation process.
Along with this discussion of the coalition government, there will also be a negotiation about who will get the post of president. That is why it is also being discussed.
According to reports, there will be further talks between the PML-N and the PPP regarding the formation of a coalition government. There will be discussions about who will be the prime minister, who will be the president, which party leader will be made the chief minister of Balochistan.
