ISLAMABAD: Following the general elections in Pakistan, political parties are in contact with each other for post-poll alliances to form governments in the Centre and provinces.
Tough Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), managed to secure a two-thirds majority in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it’s still looking for an alliance with a political party to form government in the province. The reason is that PTI’s candidates contested elections as independent candidates after the country’s electoral body revoked its election symbol and disfranchised the party.
PTI is reaching out to various political parties for the alliance to secure its share in reserved seats in the assemblies. They have already approached Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Awami National Party for an alliance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but both parties refused.
Meanwhile, different media outlets on Thursday reported that PTI has decided to form the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Parliamentarians (PTI-P), a breakaway faction led by Pervez Khattak. The much-circulated news claims that the party’s founder, Imran Khan, directed the party leaders during his meeting in jail to form an alliance with PTI-P.
Fact Check
Reacting to the news, PTI leaders and Imran Khan’s lawyers, Sher Afzal Marwat and Barrister Gohar, categorically denied the news. Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, where party founder Imran Khan is incarcerated, Barrister Gohar said that no such decision was made during the meeting.
Another PTI leader, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, also denied reports of contacting PPP for government formation. He said that the PTI founder had “strictly” advised against holding talks with PPP, PTI-P, and PML-N.
At present, PTI, with the support of its independent candidates, is leading with 87 seats, while PTI-P has only won two seats in the recent general election of the KP Assembly held on 113 out of 115 general seats on February 8. In case of joining any political party, PTI will secure a big share in the 30 reserved seats of the province.
