The Pakistan Tehreek-Insaaf (PTI) party, helmed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has designated Omar Ayub, who serves as the party's general secretary, as their nominee for the position of prime minister.
Simultaneously, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Shehbaz Sharif, has also put forth his name for the same role. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has pledged its support to the PML-N in establishing the government but has opted out of participating in the Cabinet.
Efforts to bring the second-largest party into the government to ensure stability were ongoing until Wednesday. Shehbaz Sharif was endorsed as the coalition candidate for the forthcoming premier by his elder brother, Nawaz. Additionally, he proposed to his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, for the position of Punjab Chief Minister.
The PPP, on the other hand, supported this choice but refrained from committing to joining the government, indicating a willingness to support a minority government from outside. Meanwhile, independent members of parliament, backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, have formed the largest group in the legislature. They have been in conflict with the influential military, alleging electoral fraud.
In the latest developments concerning the formation of the Pakistan government, Shehbaz Sharif has been selected to lead the nation once again following elections fraught with accusations of rigging, result delays, protests, and economic challenges. Seventy-two-year-old Sharif, who previously served as the Prime Minister for 16 months, was nominated as the coalition candidate for the upcoming premiership by his elder brother Nawaz, the founder of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the largest party in parliament.
During a press conference, Shehbaz Sharif announced his daughter Maryam Nawaz as the Chief Minister of Punjab province.
Maryam Nawaz, in a social media post, stated that her father preferred not to govern a minority coalition government, having previously commanded clear majorities in his three previous tenures as premier. Although the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party only controls 80 seats in the 264-seat parliament, it has secured promises of support from six other parties to attain a majority.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the second-largest party led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, endorsed this decision but refrained from committing to join the government, indicating a willingness to support a minority government from the outside.
Both the PML-N and PPP have established internal committees to discuss the specifics of government formation. Their agendas include persuading the PPP to join the administration and assume cabinet positions.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has alleged electoral misconduct and vowed to legally challenge certain results. However, both the caretaker government and the election commission have dismissed these accusations.
Analysts had anticipated that the elections would offer a resolution to Pakistan's crisis. However, the split verdict, with a significant number of independents at odds with the influential military, may lead to further instability.
Pakistan witnessed a voter turnout of 47.6 percent in the February 8 election, which was lower than the previous one in 2018, where 52.1 percent of voters participated. Reports indicate that approximately 60.6 million voters exercised their franchise in Pakistan's 12th general elections, marking an increase of nearly 5.8 million compared to 2018 when 54.8 million votes were cast.
