Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) agreed to form a coalition government in both the Central Punjab regions on February 10th. The agreement comes as election officials are still counting votes for at least 25 seats throughout the country.
The agreement came after PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif met with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and PPP leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari in the city of Lahore.
However, unofficial polling projects independent candidates affiliated with former president Imran Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), will win 100 seats in the National Assembly, giving them outright control of the legislature. The polling also indicates that the PML-N and PPP will win 71 and 53 seats, respectively.
Inter-Services Public Relations released a statement by Pakistani Army Chief of Staff, General Asim Munir, where he called on political parties to show maturity and “rise above self-interests and synergise efforts in governing and serving the people” to build a functioning and purposeful government. Munir also said that all political parties should reciprocate the same “political maturity and unity” that the Pakistani people showed when they cast their vote.
