After extensive negotiations, senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have officially declared an agreement to establish a new coalition government in Pakistan.

In a joint news conference late on Tuesday night, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, 72, is set to assume the role of the Prime Minister once again. At the same time, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, 68, is slated to become the country's President again.

"The PPP and PML-N have achieved the required number, and [now] we are in a position to form the government," Bilawal told reporters.

He said former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party-backed candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority in Parliament to form government in the Centre.

The former prime minister emphasized the unity between the two parties, noting that they were well-positioned to form the government at the Centre, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.

To form a government, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly or the lower house of Parliament.

Meanwhile, in a post on X, 71-year-old Khan's PTI hit out at the newly cemented PPP, PML-N alliance as ‘PDM 2.0’

"PDM 2.0 = #MandateThieves."

The alliance declaration followed a day after the latest round of discussions between the top leaders of the two parties concluded inconclusively on Monday. The failure to reach a consensus on a power-sharing formula for the coalition government was the key reason for the delay in the announcement.

Shehbaz Sharif, who served as the prime minister from 2022 to 2023, acknowledged that the path ahead for the new government would be challenging, marked by numerous difficulties and obstacles. He emphasized the collective resolve of the coalition alliance to address these challenges together, as reported by the Dawn newspaper.

PPP co-chairperson Zardari, who held the presidency from 2008 to 2013, highlighted that the political alliance's endeavour to form the next government is a struggle undertaken for the benefit of the country and future generations.

The February 8 general elections have been controversial, with several serious allegations of widespread rigging to alter the results.

Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said the PTI chief has termed the February 8 elections “mother of all rigging”.

Aleema met Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Tuesday. She told reporters that the people's mandate was “stolen” following the elections. She also said that Imran Khan has strongly condemned the suspension of internet services, which he claimed was used to “hide the real results”.

Image source: PTI