Coalition talks gather pace in Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who got the most seats in recently concluded polls in the country, yesterday held "successful" talks with the Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who came third, in an early sign that the country is heading towards a unity government.

The development came as the final results of last Thursday's polls were finally announced yesterday. No party won a simple majority to form the next government.

However, the results put independents, backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, in the lead with 93 of 264 seats. In total, independents won 101 seats.

With 75 seats, PML-N lacked a clear majority but came out as the largest single party in parliament as Khan's independents ran as individuals.

Besides Khan and Sharif, the Pakistan Peoples Party leader Bilawal, the son of assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, remains a major player with at least 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a regional party, won 17.

Imran and Sharif have both declared victory in the polls and both parties said they claimed the right to form the next government.

As the final results came out, a flurry of activity was noticed in Lahore, the PML-N headquarters.

It met with the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) -- the two most seat-getters in the polls after Sharif's party and independents.

The PML-N and PPP meeting came after Nawaz Sharif, just a day after the election, on Friday, hinted at the formation of a national unity government and tasked his brother former PM  Shehbaz Sharif with reaching out to other parties to begin consultations on government formation.

That night, Shehbaz Sharif had met with PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and his son, Bilawal, sources had told Dawn. The outcome of the meeting was positive, it added.

The meeting had come after a heated campaign trail that saw Bilawal taking frequent digs at Nawaz.

Yesterday, the two parties held a meeting at Bilawal House in Lahore, which was attended by Shehbaz, Bilawal and Zardari and important leaders from both sides.

A joint statement issued after the meeting said the two parties had agreed "in principle" on political cooperation to bring political stability.

According to the statement, the PPP said it would place the PML-N's proposals before its Central Executive Committee today. The leaders present in the meeting said that a majority had given the two parties the mandate and they would not be left disappointed.

Meanwhile, a separate statement issued by the PPP referred to the meeting as the "first official contact" of the PML-N with the PPP for the formation of the government.

Earlier yesterday, a spokeswoman for Sharif's party said that he had met with representatives of the minority regional MQM party and they had agreed to "in principle work jointly in the larger interest of the country."

However, an MQM leader confirmed the meeting but said no formal coalition agreement had been made. He also said the party will play its role in steering the country out of crisis.

Meanwhile, Pakistani media reports yesterday said at least nine independents may join the PMLN.

A prime ministerial candidate has to show a simple majority of 169 seats in the 336-seat National Assembly when the house is called in the coming days.

Of these, 266 are filled by direct elections. Besides, the Pakistan constitution reserves 10 seats for religious minorities and 60 seats for women.

However, under Pakistan's electoral laws, independent candidates are not eligible for reserved seats, which are allotted according to the strength of each party in the house. Sharif's party could get up to 20 of these seats.

Khan-backed independents will only be able to claim the reserved seats if they can join a smaller party in parliament to form a single bloc.

On Saturday, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan claimed that the party won 170 seats and should not be prevented from forming its government.

He said PTI would make a political alliance soon to get its due share of the reserved seats and added that the final decision in this regard would be made soon.

Police yesterday fired tear gas to disperse supporters of jailed Imran Khan who gathered there to protest alleged vote rigging in the polls.

Clashes were reported in Rawalpindi city, south of the capital, and Lahore, in the east, while dozens of other protests were held across the country without any untoward incidents.

PTI yesterday claimed that the results of at least 18 National Assembly seats were "falsely changed" by election officers, according to a report in Dawn.

Despite the PTI claims, a coalition between the PML-N and the PPP -- who formed the last government after ousting Imran Khan with a no-confidence vote in April 2022 -- still seems the most likely outcome.

Imran Khan's independents can also form the government by aligning with other parties. However, the difficulty in the process makes it a more unlikely scenario. With the PPP in a kingmaker position, the party's claim to head the next government may foil any coalition talks.

And lastly, if all options fail and no deal is reached among parties, the powerful army that has directly ruled for nearly three decades in Pakistan's 76-year history may step in to fill the void, experts say.