Pakistan Election Results: Nawaz Sharif's Party Offered Coalition On A Condition, What's Imran Khan Up To? 10 Points

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Uncertainty over the new Pakistan government looms large as no Political party won a clear majority in Parliament in the February 8 polls. While the Election Commission of Pakistan is yet to declare official results, Pakistani media show Independent candidates, backed by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, leading the race Pakistan Election Results 2024 LIVE Updates hereWhat's happening in Pakistan's political arena right now? Top 10 updates1. Former prime ministers and bitter rivals Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan both declared victory. Nawaz Sharif, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) claimed that his party emerged as the single largest party in the Pakistan Elections 2024.2. Meanwhile, Imran Khan also delivered a victory speech. He told his followers to rejoice over their victory despite what he referred to as a \"crackdown\" on his party. Most of the independent candidates leading the polls are supporters of Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).ALSO READ: Pakistan Election Results: What happens if no party is able to form govt? A look at possible scenarios3. PTI-backed candidates have so far won 93 seats, the PML-N has won 74 seats and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has won 54 seats in the Pakistan National Assembly, according to Pakistani media Dawn. A party needs to win 133 seats of the 265 seats that went to polls on February 8. Overall, a party needs 169 seats of the total 336 seats in the National Assembly READ: Pakistan Elections: A look at challenges awaiting new govt amid poll result uncertainty4. Pakistan's prime ministerial candidate has to show a simple majority of 169 seats in the National Assembly when the house is called in the coming days. The Assembly consists of 336 seats, of which 266 are decided through direct voting on polling day. There are also 70 reserved seats - 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims - allotted according to the strength of each party in the house to determine the final position of parties in the Assembly.5. Political parties have rushed to forge alliances to form the new government. The MQM-P and PML-N held an hour-long meeting earlier in the day. They reached a“principle agreement” to work together in the upcoming government, according to a statement released by the Nawaz Sharif-led party and reported by Dawn. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) is also ready to join the government with the PML-N. Earlier, Nawaz Sharif's PML-N and Zardari's PPP had agreed to form the national government. But on one condition....6. The condition on which the PPP agreed to make a coalition government with the PML-N was that Bilawal will be made the PM. PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif told his party leaders that former president Asif Zardari demanded a prime minister's slot for the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and major ministerial portfolios, Geo TV reported which citing The News sources. Amid the coalition talks, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto asserted that the federal, Punjab and Balochistan governments cannot be formed without the PPP.6. Meanwhile, Imran Khan's PTI had said on Saturday it will form governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the federal government in the Centre. In a bid to execute its plan, the PTI reportedly asked its lawyer Umair Khan Niazi to get in touch with party-backed candidates for a government at the federal level. Some leaders were also directed to approach lawmakers-elect in KP and Punjab, Dawn reported READ: Pakistan Election Results: Who's winning, what's next for Imran Khan's party-backed Independents?7. The PTI hopes that President Arif Alvi will invite the party to form the new government in Pakistan since it emerged as the“largest single party” following the elections.8. The PTI rejected the“shameful” attempts at creating“PDM 2” in the country.“The economic and administrative disaster that Pakistan is suffering today is the responsibility of PDM, an incompetent, worthless and rejected group of criminals,” the party said in a statement. It was referring to Nawaz Sharif's PDM (Pakistan Democratic Move­ment) style alliance of parties including PPP, JUI-F, MQM, PML-Q and IPP.9. PTI leader Hammad Azhar said all protests on Sunday were postponed and that only peaceful protests will be held outside the offices of the Returning Officers (ROs) where the results were changed. \"Such suspicious reports have been received from all over Punjab,\" he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The politician warned party workers and supporters to stay \"wary of elements that attempt vandalism or arson\".ALSO READ: Rigged elections in Pakistan: What's next for the near-failed state?10. Pakistan's army chief said on Sunday,“Political leadership and their workers should rise above self-interests and synergise efforts in governing and serving the people, which is perhaps the only way to make democracy functional and purposeful.” The statement was issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which seems to endorse political efforts towards forming a coalition among various political actors, Dawn reported.

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