Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are locked in a battle to form the next government in Punjab after both failed to win an outright majority in the country’s biggest provincial assembly.

In the Punjab Assembly, PML-N leads with 127 seats while PTI is a close second with 122 seats, as per ECP’s unofficial results of 294 out of total 295 seats.

PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz Friday told a press conference that his party will form the next government in the province.”Despite massive rigging, the party emerged the biggest winner in Punjab. Majority of the 27 independent candidates are with us,” he claimed. “We will speak to PPP and PML-Q as well.”

Expressing reservations on the results of the general elections, Hamza said, “There was pre-poll rigging as our workers were arrested and booked for terrorism. Then on election day, our polling agents in DG Khan were beaten up. Also, surveys conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had shown that Punjab was ahead in health and education sectors. But we see today that polls results are different in Punjab.”

“But, despite all our reservations, we will respect PTI’s mandate. We want democracy to flourish in Pakistan. Even if democracy is flawed, it’s solution is more democracy, and then more democracy. The PML-N has 64 seats in the National Assembly. We will play the role of the opposition,” he said.

Hamza recalled how his party had the chance to form government in KP in 2013 but his uncle, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ‘respected the mandate given to the PTI’.”Nawaz Sharif made a big decision then and allowed the PTI to form the government. It hadn’t happened before in Pakistan’s history.”

Hamza seemed confident that the PML-N would form provincial government in Punjab. “In Punjab, PML-N has 129 seats, PTI has 118, while 27 are independent winners who share our ideology. Our people are in touch with them. We have emerged as a force. We want to tell the people that we will give good news to them,” he said. “All hurdles in the way of forming the government will also be exposed before the nation,” he added.

PTI leader Naeemul Haq in a media talk also claimed that his party has the required numbers to make the next government in Punjab.”There is no doubt that PML-N has the lead but the assembly’s majority is with us,” he revealed.

Naeemul Haq denied that his party had contacted the PPP for an alliance in the Centre, adding that consultation with political parties was underway regarding formation of governments in Punjab and the Centre.

PTI chief Imran Khan has reportedly assigned the task of recruiting independent MPAs in Punjab to Jahangir Tareen. The party has also decided to take PML-Q on board to form government in Punjab.

In the face of close competition between PML-N and PTI to form government in Punjab, independent candidates will pray a crucial role in this regard.

Out of the total 371 seats, at least 149 seats are required to form the government in Punjab. With 66 seats reserved for women and eight for minorities, PML-N requires 22 of the remaining 74 seats. Similarly, PTI will need 31 independent candidates or members of other parties to join it in order to form the government in the province.

With 27 seats, independent candidates are the third largest group in the Punjab Assembly. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has bagged six seats and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has secured seven seats. With one seat each, Balochistan Awami Party, PML-F and Pakistan Awami Raj will also represent their voters in the Punjab Assembly.

Published in Daily Times, July 28^th 2018.