Pakistan impasse: Nawaz Sharif moves closer to becoming prime minister while Bilawal Bhutto withdraws from the contest
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari promised support for the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday, bringing Pakistan one step closer to forming a new government. On Tuesday, Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would withdraw from the prime minister contest and that his party would back any candidate put forth by the group.
In addition, Bhutto declared that his party would not enter the cabinet.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Bilawal Bhutto stated, “We will have to go back for re-elections and this will lead to another perpetuation of this political crisis if this house fails to elect a prime minister and it fails to form a government.” The Pakistan Peoples Party will only support the administration on an issue-by-issue basis and will not take ministries in the cabinet.
In response to a query, Bilawal stated that his father, the late President Asif Ali Zardari, should run for president since he had the ability to lead the nation out of its current predicament.
Shehbaz Sharif, the former prime minister of Pakistan, reiterated that his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, would take over as prime minister.
“I predicted that Nawaz Sharif would hold the position of prime minister four times. At a news conference, Shehbaz declared, “And I maintain today that he is going to be the PM for the fourth time.”
It is thanks to Bhutto’s declaration and Shehbaz Sharif’s affirmation that Nawaz Sharif is now prime minister for a record-breaking fourth time.
Potentially, Nawaz Sharif could return to power following a turbulent time of court disputes, exile, and political maneuvering.
The elder Sharif has a history of falling out with the generals and has been active in politics for almost fifty years. As prime minister, he was dismissed three times. The Pakistani Supreme Court removed him from office in 2017 due to allegations of corruption resulting from the Panama Papers controversy. In addition, he was found guilty and given a prison term in other corruption instances. After being removed from office and facing legal issues, Nawaz Sharif sought medical attention in London and went into exile.
The results of the elections held on February 8 showed that Pakistani voters delivered a divided mandate.
In the 266-member National Assembly, independent candidates, primarily supported by imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI party, won 101 seats. Nawaz Sharif, the three-time prime minister, came in second with 75 seats, followed by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54 seats.
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