Following the announcement of the general election results, political parties have stepped their efforts to create a coalition government.
In this regard, a crucial meeting took place at the house of Pakistan Muslim League-Q president Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, during which the formation of the government was discussed.
The political parties, comprising the PML-N, PPP, MQM-P, PML-Q, BNP, and IPP, stated that they will form a government together.
According to media reports, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif for the prime minister slot. As per reports, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is likely to become president of the country, while PML-N Senior Vice President is expected to become chief minister of Punjab.
Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz also rebuffed the impression that party supremo Nawaz Sharif quit active politics after he nominated Shehbaz for the post of prime minister.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has opted to support the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) candidate for prime minister slot but will not join the federal government.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made the major announcement during a press conference in Islamabad following the Central Executive Committee's (CEC) session on Tuesday, stating that he was withdrawing his candidacy for prime minister because "the PPP does not have the mandate to form the federal government."
"It is a fact that the PPP does not have a mandate to form the federal government, and as a result, I will not be running for prime minister of Pakistan," Bilawal said.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidates and the PML-N, he said, had more seats in the National Assembly (NA) than his party, but since the former has announced that they will not engage in any dialogue with the PPP, there is no chance of a PTI or independent-led government in the country.
It should be mentioned that PTI founder Imran Khan dismissed the idea of creating a coalition government with the PPP, PML-N, or Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
Bilawal said that only the PML-N had approached the PPP to join a coalition government.
Bilawal stated that because the PPP is unable to form a government at the center, it is unwilling to include federal ministries in its structure.
"We don't want to see chaos or a perpetual crisis in the country," he added, leaving aside the possibility of re-election.
Instead of joining the PML-N government, Bilawal stated that his party will pursue critical positions such as Senate chairman and NA speaker, as it is entitled to do under the constitution.