February 10, 2024
PESHAWAR: Following victories of a large number of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) affiliated independent candidates in the 2024 general elections, the former ruling party has convened a meeting to discuss forging alliances with other political parties.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, Asad Qaiser, Ali Muhammad Khan and others would attend the meeting that would discuss the formation of the new central and provincial governments, said the PTI.
The PTI on Friday said that it is in a position to form a government at the centre and ruled out forging an alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
"We are not in contact with PPP or PML-N," Barrister Gohar told Geo News.
He claimed that PTI is winning 150 National Assembly seats and would be able to achieve the required number of seats to form government at the centre.
"We are not intending to form a coalition government with PPP and PML-N," said Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. "We will form the government at the Centre and Punjab," he added.
He said the PTI has a clear lead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will form government there as well. "PTI will remain in Parliament and will play its role."
He said independent candidates belong to PTI and asserted they would not join any party against party directives amid fears of horse-trading.
On the flip side, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed to form a coalition government in the centre and Punjab after PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif met PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari, inviting them to work together for Pakistan.
Shehbaz met the PPP top leaders at the residence of Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Party sources said Shehbaz discussed the future government formation with Zardari and also conveyed PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s message.
Shehbaz asked the two PPP leaders to sit with the PML-N leadership for political and economic stability in Pakistan.
Sources claimed that Zardari and Shehbaz agreed to form a government in Punjab and at the centre and both the parties will present their own views in the next meeting and finalise all matters regarding the power-sharing formula as to who will assume which office and where with mutual consultation. The meeting lasted 45 minutes.