Midnight Meet Seals Bilawal-Sharif Coalition to Keep Imran Khan Out of Power in Pakistan

To keep jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party out of power,  Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party will join a coalition with the Sharif clan’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. This was stated by Bhutto Zardari at a press conference in the Pakistan capital Islamabad at around midnight on Tuesday. As per the power partnership arrangements, Shehbaz Sharif will be prime minister while Bhutto Zardari’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, will be nominated as the president of the country.

“Both the parties have the numbers to form a government,” Bhutto Zardari, said, with his father and Sharif standing next to him.

The development ends the uncertainties following the inconclusive February 8 election, in which Imran Khan’s party supported independents won most seats but fell short of getting a majority.

Now all eyes will be on the reaction of Khan’s supporters towards this political development in Pakistan. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party posted on X a picture of Sharif, Bhutto Zardari and his father moments after the announcement, using the hashtag #MandateThieves.

The PTI alleges large scale vote rigging in the elections, which  the ECP and the interim government of Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar continue to deny.

The PTI was barred from contesting in the elections under its own name and its cricket bat symbol was taken away. The party ran its candidates as independents and attempted to stage online rallies.