Army backs Nawaz Sharif’s call to form coalition govt

Islamabad/Lahore, February 10

Pakistan’s army chief Gen Asim Munir on Saturday urged the country’s polarised political leadership to form a “unified government of all democratic forces”, as he backed ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s plea to his rivals to help form a coalition government after the general elections appear to have produced a hung parliament.

Efforts to form a unity government gained momentum after three-time former PM Sharif, who seems to enjoy the backing of the Pakistan army, on Friday appealed to other political parties to join hands to pull cash-strapped Pakistan out of its current difficulties.

Springing a surprise, independents backed by jailed former PM Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the lion’s share of 100 seats in the National Assembly in Thursday’s election. Khan’s party has already claimed victory in the elections.

The group was followed by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 73 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with 17 and 11 other seats going to smaller parties, as the result of 255 seats out of 265 was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate.

Overall, 169 seats are needed to secure a simple majority out of its total 336 seats, which include the reserved slots for women and minorities.

Votes are still being counted after the general election which was marred by allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown.

On Saturday, a statement attributed to Gen Munir said, “Pakistan’s diverse polity and pluralism will be well-represented by a unified government of all democratic forces imbibed with national purpose.” He said that elections and democracy are means to serve the people of Pakistan and not end in themselves.

The army, which has ruled coup-prone Pakistan for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Imran, 71, in an AI-generated audio-video message on Saturday claimed victory in the general elections. Analysts noted that even if Sharif’s PML-N and the PPP led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari get a majority of the remaining seats of the results yet to be announced they will still require support from other winning parties/independents to form a government.

The two parties are making efforts to form a coalition government. PPP chief Bilawal, 35, and his father Asif Ali Zardari held separate meetings with 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shehbaz.

The sources said the major sticking point between the PML-N and PPP is consensus on the name of the prime minister. PPP senior leader Khursheed Shah said his party will not accept Sharif as premier.

Meanwhile, the victory of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in Lahore’s National Assembly seats was challenged in the Lahore High Court, alleging that the top poll body did not follow the correct procedure. Several losing PTI-backed candidates claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared them winners on “bogus” result Form-47 instead of Form-45.

Form 45, commonly referred to as the ‘Result of the Count’ form, is a crucial record in the Pakistani electoral process which is intended to uphold openness and accountability by documenting and disclosing the outcomes of the voting procedure at a particular polling station.

Among the petitioners is Yasmin Rashid who said she won the seat against Sharif according to the Form-45, however, the ECP issued Form-47 declaring the PML-N supreme as successful.

Similarly, Farooq Shahzad said Nawaz’s daughter Maryam lost the seat as per polling booth results (Form-45) but “she was declared successful through bogus Form-47.”— PTI

Pakistan needs free and fair results, says nobel laureate Malala

• Pakistan’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has said that her country needs free and fair elections. The 26-year-old youngest recipient of the award urged the elected officials to accept the voters’ decision with grace.
• Meanwhile, Gohar Ali Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, claims President Arif Alvi will invite his party to form the government as the party has secured a majority in the National Assembly, according to a media report.

Imran’s party warns of consequences

• Imran Khan-led PTI has warned that any attempt to derail the people’s decision would have “deadly consequences”, adding that power-wielders must learn to respect the people’s choice.
• Its central information secretary Raoof Hasan says the party has already started the consultation process on its future course of action.

PML-N, PPP fall short

Analysts say that even if Sharif’s PML-N and the PPP led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari get a majority of the remaining seats of the results yet to be announced, they will still require support from other winning parties/independents to form a government.