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Pakistan’s two major political dynasties agreed late on Tuesday to form a coalition government to ensure that candidates aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan do not seize power despite winning the most seats in last week’s general election. reached.
Leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), a political party backed by Pakistan’s powerful military, are seeking a two-thirds majority in Pakistan’s next parliament, another major political party, Pakistan. He announced that he would collaborate with the People’s Party and other parties. .
“This is a time for unity, not disagreement,” said former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, who the coalition announced he would nominate to take back the post. “Let’s move forward, move our economy forward, and end our differences.”
The announcement came five days after national elections in which most people expected the PMLN to win easily with the support of the military, which has frequently manipulated election results. In a stunning upset, candidates allied with Mr. Khan routed two long-standing political parties, ignored months of military crackdowns on their own party, and issued a sharp rebuke to the country’s generals. Ta.
Following the election results, days of political maneuvering have begun. The country was waiting to see if Khan, who is serving multiple prison terms on politically motivated charges, could pull off another upset and form his own coalition as the PMLN and PPP discussed a partnership. .
Tuesday’s announcement confirmed that MPs from Mr Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), will join the opposition in parliament, but they will not be sidelined and will face serious challenges to the coalition government. It can be a challenge.
PTI accused the military of falsifying vote counts in dozens of races and promised a long and painful legal battle to challenge the results. For many Pakistanis, these accusations undermine the legitimacy of Mr Sharif’s coalition government, which PTI leaders accuse of forming government with “stolen votes”.
The PMLN’s announcement on Tuesday that the coalition would nominate Sharif as prime minister ended days of speculation over whether he or his brother Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, would lead the next government. It sank.
The younger Sharif, 72, led a coalition government after Khan was ousted by parliament in 2022. He is seen as having more respect for the military than his older brother, who had a number of falling outs with the country’s generals after calling for stronger military strength. Civilian control of government.
Analysts say promoting the younger Sharif as prime minister signals that the military will maintain a firm grip on the country’s politics from behind the scenes.
Mr Sharif’s previous coalition government was deeply unpopular and criticized for failing to deal with the economic crisis that had pushed inflation to record highs in recent years. The country’s economy has survived with a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
“It will be a difficult challenge for the Shehbaz Sharif government,” said Muneeb Farooq, a Lahore-based political analyst. “The predictions of an economic turnaround that everyone keeps talking about are far from reality.”
PMLN leaders said Sharif’s eldest daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif would be nominated to lead the provincial government in Punjab, the stronghold of the Sharif political dynasty and recently facing a strong challenge from the PTI. Stated.
The move is seen as an effort by the elder Sharif to hand over the party baton to his daughter.
Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and leaders of several other smaller parties agreed to form the next government under Shehbaz Sharif after a summit meeting in the capital Islamabad late Tuesday night. expressed support for.
“We will lead Pakistan out of difficult times,” said Zardari, who is expected to become the next president, a largely ceremonial post. His wife, Benazir Bhutto, twice served as Pakistan’s prime minister, but she was assassinated in 2007.
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