Latest talks between PML-N, PPP on govt formation inconclusive

Islamabad: The latest round of talks between the top leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) concluded inconclusively after both sides were unable to reach an agreement on a power-sharing formula to form a coalition government in Pakistan following the election's fractured outcome.

The meeting, conducted on February 20 at the residence of PML-N senior leader Senator Ishaq Dar in Parliament Lodges in Islamabad, was attended by significant figures from both parties. The PPP delegation included Murad Ali Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan, and others.

This was the fifth round of discussions between the PML-N and the PPP coordination committees to end the political stalemate after the February 8 elections resulted in a hung Parliament.

After a three-hour deliberation on Monday, the negotiation hit a snag prompting a temporary halt, with both the PML-N and the PPP agreeing to reconvene at 10 p.m. on Monday. However, the meeting did not take place.

Eventually, at 11 p.m., the PML-N concluded their meeting, announcing that discussions with PPP would resume on Wednesday. In an informal conversation with reporters after the first round of the meeting, PML-N leader Azam Nazir Tarar conveyed a positive trajectory in the ongoing discussions. “Some things have already been decided on the matter of PPP's inclusion in the Cabinet,” Mr Tarar was quoted as saying by Geo News.

The general elections have been controversial with several serious allegations of widespread rigging to alter the results. More than 11 days after the voting, there is still no clarity on which party would form the government at the Centre.

Though independent candidates backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the maximum number of seats in Parliament, PML-N and PPP have announced that they will form a coalition government after the elections resulted in a hung Parliament.

However, despite multiple rounds of talks, a decision regarding PPP's inclusion in the Cabinet remained elusive. Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) pledged its support for the PML-N on Monday.

To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly. Independent candidates — a majority backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won 93 National Assembly seats in the election.

The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.

In an informal dialogue with journalists, Sindh Governor and MQM-P leader Kamran Tessori said, "We stand united in the challenging task of government formation. MQM-P has assured full support [to PML-N]."

With PTI inputs