PMLN, PPP reach agreement on coalition government

By Sean Seddon and Farhat Javed, BBC UrduBBC News

Getty ImagesThe PMLN failed to win the February 8 elections but struck a deal to return it to power

Two political parties in Pakistan have reached a formal agreement to form a new government following elections mired in controversy.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) will be supported by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in a new administration, they jointly announced.

On February 8, both parties won fewer seats than candidates loyal to imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

On X, Mr Khan's PTI party called the coalition “mandate stealers”.

His movement claims the vote was rigged to keep its supporters out of power.

More than six days after reaching an initial agreement to form a coalition, the PMLN and PPP announced that a comprehensive agreement had been reached at a press conference on Tuesday.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardaro, Chairman of the PPP, said: “The goal of the coalition is to address the country's economic crisis. »

Former Prime Minister and PMLN President Shahbaz Sharif promised “collective action to address economic and other challenges”.

The deal means Mr Sharif is set to become prime minister for a second time with the backing of the coalition's junior partner, while the PPP's Asif Ali Zardari will be the coalition's presidential candidate – a position which he has already occupied.

EPAFormer Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif set to return to power after deal struck with small party

The process of electing the prime minister involves a parliamentary vote, scheduled for the end of February. A separate election to choose the next president will take place in the coming weeks.

It is still unclear who will occupy the other important government positions.

Controversial parliamentary elections earlier this month failed to produce a conclusive result.

Although Mr. Khan is behind bars and his candidates have been forced to run as independents rather than under a single banner, candidates backed by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have emerged as the most large block in a shock result.

However, their 93 seats in the National Assembly fall far short of the overall majority of 169 needed to form a government.

This paved the way for the PMLN, led by another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to enter into negotiations with the PPP.

The PMLN won 75 seats, while the PPP came third with 54 – but with support likely from smaller parties and once seats reserved for women and representatives of religious minorities are distributed, the coalition partners will have 'sufficient support in Parliament to govern.

The two parties were part of a coalition that forced Mr Khan out of office in dramatic fashion in 2022. In January 2024, he was jailed for 10 years after being accused of leaking state secrets, which he 'he denies.

The PTI is contesting the result in court and its supporters have staged protests across the country.

Last week, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman of the Jamaat-e-Islami party gave up his seat in Karachi after alleging that local election officials were given medals in the process to prevent his PTI opponent from winning.

Social media has been disrupted across the country in recent days due to the protests. Internet access monitoring group NetBlocks said Tuesday that access to X – formerly Twitter – remains restricted for many people.

Outside Source radio on BBC World Service will be answering your questions from 16:00 GMT today on the Pakistan elections.

This is your chance to ask us anything and we'll answer as many questions as possible.

You can send your questions in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and do not see the form, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68354256 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos