Both PML-N, PTI stake claim on Punjab prize

Hamza Shehbaz asks PTI to respect PML-N’s mandate; PTI rejects request, claims majority

LAHORE: Both the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have announced they will form a government in Punjab, the country’s biggest province where both the rival parties have bagged almost similar number of seats for the provincial assembly.

From the 279 Punjab Assembly seats on which direct polls were held, the PML-N – which has ruled the province for two consecutive terms from 2008 till 2018 – has won 127 seats while the PTI, which is also leading in the National Assembly, has secured 123 seats.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PML-Q has bagged seven seats, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has won six seats whereas 29 independent candidates have managed to make their way to the provincial legislature.

All eyes are now on the independent candidates. According to a senior PTI leader, the party’s former secretary general Jehangir Khan Tareen, its leader Aleem Khan as well as the PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi are all trying to persuade independent candidates to join the PTI.

“A group of 18 MPAs from Punjab is expected to join the PTI on Saturday (today),” claimed a senior party leader privy to the development. Independents are expected to prefer the PTI over the PML-N given the fact the PTI would be forming the next government in the Centre.



The PTI also has an edge over the PML-N in province as its allied party in Centre, the PML-Q, has also won seven seats in the province.

The PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz on Friday asked the PTI to not create hindrance in their way to form the provincial government and told them to respect their simple majority as the PML-N respected the PTI’s majority in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa (K-P) in 2013.

“Nawaz Sharif respected majority the PTI had obtained in the K-P and allowed it to form a provincial government. Then the PML-N was asked by several parties to form a coalition government with them, but Nawaz Sharif refused,” he said.

He said now the PTI should respect the PML-N’s majority and avoid creating any hindrance in its way. “We will make a provincial government in Punjab and are in talks with the PPP, the PML-Q and independent candidates.  Several independent candidates are likeminded and will come with us.”



Hours after Hamza’s press conference, PTI’s Naeem Ul Haq claimed that the PML-N may have party-wise majority in the Punjab Assembly but the PTI has the overall majority in the province. He said the party is in talks with independent candidates.

According to sources, the PTI is in a better position than the PML-N to form provincial government. They said the independent candidates might have gone with PML-N, if they were in majority in the Centre.

Well-placed sources said the PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif is considering to go to the National Assembly and to allow his son, Hamza Shehbaz, to lead in Punjab. They said Hamza would be the PML-N candidate for the slot of Punjab chief minister only if the party felt it is in a comfortable position to win. Otherwise the party would pitch some other candidate just for the sake of putting up a fight.