Contrary to public posturing, PPP likely to join federal cabinet

• PPP to support PML-N in government formation: PPP. 
• Shehbaz Sharif nominated PM, Maryam Nawaz for Punjab CM.
• Shehbaz sought allies' support for PM election: sources.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is likely to join the federal cabinet in the second phase despite its public posturing that it is only supporting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for the top slot of the prime minister, sources told Geo News on Wednesday.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday announced it would support the PML-N in government formation without being part of the federal cabinet.

Addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the two-day Central Executive Committee of the PPP, Bilawal said the party would be willing to support on an issue-to-issue basis and in the case of important votes for the candidate of the prime minister of Pakistan, to ensure that a government is formed and political stability is restored.

“The PPP has decided that while we are not in a position to join the federal government ourselves, nor will we be interested in taking ministries in such a set-up, we also do not want to see political chaos in the country. We do not want to see perpetual crisis in the country,” he said.

An inside story of the huddle of the party heads at PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain suggested PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif apprise the allies that he was nominated for the slot of prime minister before the PML-N publicly announced the decision.

Announcing the six-party alliance for the next coalition government in a press conference, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that it was decided to form the government together.

The party heads included Shujaat Hussain, Shehbaz, Asif Zardari, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Aleem Khan, Senate Chairman and BAP representative Sadiq Sanjrani.

Soon after the presser ended, PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on social media platform X that party supremo Nawaz Sharif nominated Shehbaz Sharif for the post of prime minister and Maryam Nawaz for the Punjab chief minister.

Before the announcement of Shehbaz’s nomination for the post of PM, the PML-N president told allies he had been nominated for the coveted slot and said he would make the decision public if allies agreed to vote for him in the National Assembly.

The sources said the heads of all parties assured Shehbaz that they would vote for him in the election of the prime minister.

The coalition partners of the incoming government would form committees to decide for the inclusion in the federal cabinet and the PPP would not become part of the cabinet in the first phase, as per insiders.

They said the PPP would join the federal cabinet in the second phase.