Imran Khan’s party claimed a shock election victory and declared it intended to form the next government, despite opposition efforts to seize power through a behind-the-scenes coalition deal. .
By Saturday evening, no one had yet to know who the It was still unclear whether a new party would be formed. The turmoil in Pakistan’s government further exacerbated the situation of political turmoil.
When you talk to observer In Islamabad, PTI party leader Gohar Ali Khan stressed that his party intends to form a government despite many obstacles in its path. Candidates affiliated with the PTI won the most parliamentary seats, but not enough to win a simple majority in parliament. Meanwhile, their leader and Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan has been in prison for more than a decade.
“The result is clear: we are a majority party and we will form a government,” Ali Khan said. “Common sense must prevail. The people have spoken out and given us the power to form a government. That needs to be respected before it comes out.”
He added: “The people want Pakistan to be independent and democratic.”
However, Ali Khan admitted that PTI was facing a “tough situation”. Officially, PTI candidates won more than 90 seats, far short of the 170 seats needed for an overall majority. The party says the actual number of seats won by PTI is 154, but it lost dozens of seats due to allegations of widespread vote rigging and is currently in a dispute with the Election Commission.
saturday night pakistan newspaper said dawn The PTI won 93 of the 264 seats contested, 20 seats ahead of its closest rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with 73 seats. Eight seats were still undeclared.
Ali Khan said PTI’s efforts to form a government are a “race against time” as Pakistan’s own so-called game of thrones has begun. The other two major political parties, PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), met on Friday night and again on Saturday with other smaller parties to win a majority to protect the PTI from power. Discuss forming a coalition.
Both are run by two of Pakistan’s most powerful political dynasties, the Sharif and Bhutto families, and are considered traditional political parties that have held power at different times over generations.
PML-N leader and former federal minister Furram Dasgir Khan said, “We will form a government, but a full coalition government has not yet been decided.” Both sides confirmed that there were no discussions regarding participation with PTI. Analysts predicted it would probably take several days before a new government was agreed upon.
Nawaz Sharif, a three-time former prime minister and head of the PML-N, who appears to have the tacit support of Pakistan’s influential military, was widely expected to become the next prime minister. The military is widely described as the country’s political power broker, having influenced election outcomes for decades and ruling immediately after seizing power in four coups.
Before the election, it was made very clear that the military leadership would do everything possible to prevent Mr. Khan’s party from regaining power. Mr. Khan was elected in 2018 with the support of the military, which was seen as having influence over the government, but generals helped engineer Mr. Khan’s ouster after the alliance collapsed.
Ali Khan said the “regime” (a common term for the military) was “the driving force behind everything.”
“They probably had everything decided before the election, but they probably didn’t expect to get so much support from the people,” he said. He said he has now directly asked the “highest authority” (another euphemism for the military) to “accept the mandate of the people.”
Ali Khan said the PTI adheres to the message that “the ruling class should not be involved in politics”.
“They must not interfere in the political arena. They must not form a government. This must stop now,” he said.
Nevertheless, the military’s silent hand was still seen to be influencing the election results.
Mr Sharif appears to have been brought back from political exile after a “backroom deal” with the military leadership, but he has had a checkered career with the military. His past three terms all ended after his power was challenged.
Analysts and party insiders say the election results, and the weak and unruly coalition currently likely to come to power, serve the military’s objectives and support its political and business interests. He said there was definitely no challenge to profits.
According to people close to Mr. Sharif, he viewed the election results as a “grave betrayal.” Many believe his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif could become prime minister instead if a deal is reached with his coalition partners.
“I think Nawaz Sharif’s desire to have a majority in parliament has caused suspicion within the military. They feared the return of the old rebellious Nawaz Sharif and wanted to install him in his place. ” said a PML-N official.
Political analyst Tahir Naeem Malik held a similar view. “I think this result satisfies the military,” he said. “It is better for them if society is divided and polarized. They rule by repression, so a hung parliament benefits those who control power. This is their domain in the political arena. It is as safe and secure as ever.”
