Let’s sit together, Nawaz asks rivals after split mandate in general polls

PML-N leader admits his party lacks majority to form a government n Claims PML-N emerges as single largest political party in general elections 2024 n Says he has tasked Shehbaz to approach Asif Zardari, Fazlur Rehman, and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to form new govt n PML-N wants to improve relations with Pakistan’s neighbours.

LAHORE  -  Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former PM Nawaz Sharif Friday claimed that his party emerged as the single largest po­litical party in the gen­eral elections 2024. He also admitted that his party did not have the “majority to form a gov­ernment.”

His ‘victory speech’ comes as official results show that independent candidates backed by Imran Khan have taken a clear lead, with more than half of votes counted. 

“We don’t want to fight (as) Pakistan cannot af­ford conflict,” Nawaz said while addressing charged party workers at PML-N Secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town. He was accompanied by PML-N President Mian Nawaz Sharif, Senior Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Sharif, head of party’s election cell Ishaq Dar and other par­ty leaders. 

Nawaz Sharif further said that he had tasked his brother Shehbaz Sharif, also former prime minister, to approach other prominent par­ties in the country to form government. Sharif took a conciliatory tone on Friday and stated that “all parties should sit together to heal a wounded Pakistan.” He also stated that his party respected the mandate of all parties, “including independents,” referring to the candidates from jailed former Prime Minister Khan’s party, who had been unable to run under their party name. He also said that his party “wanted to improve relations” with Pa­kistan’s neighbours. If Nawaz Sharif’s party forms the new government he would become prime minister for a historic fourth term, says analysts.

Nawaz Sharif, who is also his party’s candidate for the pre­miership, also said that he seeks to form a coalition government. “I have tasked Shehbaz Shar­if to meet Fazlur Rehman, Kha­lid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Asif Ali Zardari today,” Nawaz told supporters. “Alhamdulillah, the PML-N is the largest single par­ty in the country today after the elections,” he added. 

Nawaz urged all the nation­al institutions and politicians to play a positive role in steering the country out of the ongoing crises. Referring to the coun­try’s fragile economy, Nawaz said: “At least 10 years are need­ed for bringing stability to the country.”

He said that it was the respon­sibility of the PML-N to steer the country out of the crises. The PML-N supremo said that they respect the mandate of all the political parties and inde­pendent candidates, and invit­ed them to sit with the former ruling party for the sake of the country

“Our sole agenda is a prosper­ous Pakistan,” he added.

Hinting at forming a colla­tion government, the PML-N top leader said that the party’s President Shehbaz Sharif would meet PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, JUI-F Chief Fazalur Rehman, MQM-P Convener Kha­lid Maqbool Siddiqui and other leaders today (Friday).

Earlier in the day, PML-N lead­er Ishaq Dar said that the suc­cessful independents have con­tacted his party and shown interest in joining it.

In a stark departure from his election-day stance expressing disdain for a coalition govern­ment, the PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif Friday extended an invitation to all political parties, including independents, to col­laborate in forming a government of national consensus to steer the country out of the problems. 

Addressing part workers, Nawaz also said that it would have been better if one par­ty had got a simple majority to form the government, but since the mandate was a split man­date, it was vital to form a co­alition government. He urged that 10 years of political stabil­ity was needed to fix the econo­my and other issues. 

Nawaz Sharif said that if his party had got a full mandate in the elections, he would still have invited all the political parties to become part of the government. A day earlier, Nawaz Sharif had remarked: “For God’s sake, don’t even talk about a coalition gov­ernment”. Nawaz said his party was not in a mood to fight with those who were in a mood to take up the fight with us. “That is why I am saying we all have to sit together. This country cannot af­ford wars”. He said the new gov­ernment should improve Paki­stan’s relations with the entire world, especially with the neigh­boring countries. 

Nawaz Sharif said that all in­stitutions in this country includ­ing politicians, parliament and army should all play a role in pulling Pakistan out of this vor­tex. This is not only our Pakistan but everyone’s Pakistan. 

He said all stakeholders should act in harmony to bring the country out of crises. He said only then will Pakistan get out of crises if all stakeholders sit together and take the things seriously. “Everyone has to sit together. This is everyone’s Pa­kistan. Everyone has to come to­gether to get it out of turmoil”, he remarked. 

He said that if the PML-N’s mo­mentum of 1990 had been sus­tained, today Pakistan would have been a great power in the world. “Today the country is very strong because of nuclear power, and no one can look at you with a bad eye”, he said. In a related development, the PPP-P president Asif Ali Zardari and Bi­lawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in the provincial capital late in the night for an anticipated dialogue with the PML-N leadership over the future government. 

On the other, PTI — which also claims to have the biggest number of National Assembly seats — ruled out forging an al­liance with the PML-N or Paki­stan Peoples Party to form the federal government. 

Following the PML-N supre­mo Mian Nawaz Sharif’s offer of talks on the formation of a coali­tion government, the PPP-P Pres­ident Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had a preliminary meeting to discuss the numbers game in the na­tional and provincial legislature. The PPP chairman Bilawal Bhut­to and Asif Zardari’s sister Fary­al Talpur also took part in the negotiations. The meeting took place at the residence of Caretak­er Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Gulberg, Lahore. 

Though there was no official word available about this cru­cial meeting, the sources privy to the development said that the leadership of the two par­ties decided to contact the in­dependent candidates includ­ing those belonging to the PTI to complete the numbers. 

According to sources, the is­sue of the future prime min­ister did not come under dis­cussion at this stage as the entire focus remained on mak­ing contacts with the indepen­dents. The leadership of the two parties would meet again after getting a response from the independents. 

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is also expected to at­tend the next meeting. 

Also, it has been learnt that Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto will stay in the provin­cial capital for a few days to con­clude the negotiations. A meet­ing of PPP’s central executive may also be called in Lahore to take important decisions.