The latest round of talks between the top leaders of the PML-N and the PPP has ended inconclusively after both sides failed to reach a consensus on a power-sharing formula to form a coalition government in Pakistan following a fractured verdict in the election.
The meeting, held at the residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Senator Ishaq Dar in parliament lodges here on Monday, saw the participation of prominent figures from both parties. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) delegation comprised Murad Ali Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan, and others, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Tuesday.
This was the fifth round of discussions between PML-N and 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 PML-N and PPP agreeing to reconvene at 10 pm on Monday. However, the meeting did not take place.
Eventually, at 11 pm, 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,” Tarar was quoted as saying by Geo News.
Sources said PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari-Bhutto was playing smartly and trying to bring PML-N to a point where it withdrew from making a coalition government and then launching himself as prime minister and form a government with the support of independents of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who have now joined the Sunni Ittehad Council.
But it will not be easy for the 35-year-old former foreign minister as PTI has already rejected the possibility of supporting the PPP.
The general elections have been controversial with several serious allegations of widespread rigging to alter the results. Over 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 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.
According to sources, the powerful military, which has backed a unity government after the fractured verdict, would have to put down its foot and the PPP would have to join the coalition government with a share in the cabinet. Otherwise, the process of forming a coalition government would be difficult.
The Parliament should meet for its maiden session by February 29 and it is hoped that the two leading parties -- PML-N and PPP -- would agree on a power-sharing arrangement by that time.
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 the PTI -- 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)."
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