New govt pivots around PPP: Bilawal

PPP chief insists govts at Centre, Punjab can’t be formed without his party

KARACHI:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Saturday that no government could be formed at the Centre and in Punjab and Balochistan provinces without the inclusion of his party, but made it clear that so far, no such had taken place with any political party.

In an interview with a private news channel, Bilawal said he still awaited the completion of the vote count in all constituencies before engaging in discussions on cobbling up alliances for the formation of governments.

According to Bilawal, any party taking shot at the government formation at the Centre, and in Punjab, besides Balochistan, would require the support of the PPP lawmakers, whose number is 54 in the National Assembly, 10 in Punjab Assembly and 11 in Balochistan Assembly.

There is no majority party in these assemblies. The PTI-backed independents are the largest group in the National Assembly with nearly 100 members, followed by the PML-N with 73, while both are tied at 134 in the Punjab. The PTI-backed independents won in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the PPP in Sindh.

"So far, there have been no formal talks with either the PML-N, PTI, or any other political party," Bilawal told the channel. "We are waiting for the completion of the vote count in all constituencies, and the results to be unveiled," he added.

The interview came a day after the PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif announced that his party intended to form a government at the Centre and in Punjab with support of potential allies. He tasked former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif to contact the potential allies and win over their support.

In this regard, reports had suggest that Shehbaz had met the PPP leadership, including Bilawal and former president Asif Zardari in Lahore. He also reached out to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) by the telephone, inviting them to Lahore for further talks.

Before Thursday’s elections, the PPP Central Executive Committee had nominated Bilawal as their candidate for prime minister. Bilawal said that if this decision needed to be changed, “we will once again convene” the CEC meeting.

Bilawal underscored the importance of a “political consensus” and a “national unity” government, without which, he stressed, the government would face challenges in delivering effective governance. "A government should be formed with national unity to bring political stability,” he said.

Read: PPP clean sweeps Sindh

When asked about any contacts with the PTI-backed independents, who formed the largest group in the National Assembly, the PPP chief remarked: "Some informal contacts are present in our relationships, but so far, there has been no contact with the PTI bloc."

Speaking about his own agenda for the future government, Bilawal stressed that that people’s problems could not be address without addressing the core national issue of political instability. He emphasised that he wanted political stability in the country.

"I want to end the politics of hate and division. I cannot indulge in the old style of politics. We want to bring political stability in our country," he told the interviewer. "It is in the country's interest to build political unity,” he added.

Asked about the credibility of the elections, Bilawal said that he was not disappointed with the voting. However, he appeared critical, when he said that he was winning in Lahore with a big margin at midnight on February 8 but the situation was entirely changed in the morning.

Political analysts indicate that any coalition, involving the PML-N, the PPP and the MQM-P would be another version of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led coalition government in the country after the removal of the PTI government through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.

Some media reports suggested that in their overnight talks in Lahore, the PML-N and the PPP agreed to form a coalition government at the Centre and Punjab but sides were reluctant to confirm the development.

“He [Bilawal] clarified the PPP party position with unambiguous clarity: at NO point after the election has the party spoken with N League on Federal, Balochistan or Punjab government formation,” PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said in her tweet.

Similarly, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a separate tweet that no final decisions had been taken in the meeting between Shahbaz and Zardari. “Further discussion has been agreed upon; Mr. Asif Zardari will definitely consult his party,” she wrote in a tweet on ‘X’.

Aurangzeb underscored that independent winners were “very important” in the electoral process but said that the PML-N remained the largest party in the federation. “We recognize the mandate of all. Tomorrow is an important meeting,” she added.

Meanwhile, three newly-elected independent members of National Assembly, Barrister Aqeel, Raja Khurram Nawaz, and Mian Khan Bugti, announced their support for the PML-N on Saturday. However, Raja’s election victory from federal capital had been challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).