‘Stalemate won’t benefit democracy’: Bilawal Bhutto on Pakistan govt formation crisis

Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said he foresees a ‘stalemate’ in the formation of a new government in Pakistan “if someone is not ready to change stance”, news agency PTI reported.

Bilawal’s remarks came a day after the latest round of talks between the leading parties of the country— Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)— ended inconclusively on Monday. Both the parties failed to reach a consensus on a power-sharing formula to form a coalition government at the centre following a fractured verdict in the February 8 election.

The PPP is reportedly asking for key constitutional positions of President, Chairman Senate, and Speaker of the National Assembly for its support to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N.

Speaking to reporters at the Supreme Court, the former Pakistan foreign minister said the PPP and him are adamant on their stance, highlighting that it will not be changed at any cost.

“If someone else wants to change their stance, there can be progress. If they are not ready to change it, I foresee a stalemate,” news agency PTI quoted Bilawal as saying.

The PPP chief said the stalemate would not benefit democracy or the parliamentary system.

“If I want to give the PML-N a vote, I will have to give it on my terms and not theirs,” Bilawal said.

“The delay [in forming the government] is because of non-serious,” Bilawal said, adding that this harmed Pakistan’s democracy. “The faster this is resolved, it will be better for stability and the incoming government.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja should resign immediately. the party said that the CEC failed to hold elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.

“After meeting Khan sahib today, the PTI demands that the CEC resign, he has no right to stay in the position for a single day,” Barrister Gohar Khan said at a media talk outside Adiala Jail.

Demanding impartial and transparent inquiries into poll discrepancies, Gohar Khan said, “We want the election results to be in accordance with the mandate of the public.” 

The general elections have been controversial with several serious allegations of widespread rigging to alter the results. Over 11 days after the voting, there is still no clarity on which party would form the government at the Centre.

Though independent candidates backed by the PTI of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan won the maximum number of seats in Parliament, the PML-N and the PPP have announced that they will form a coalition government after the elections resulted in a hung Parliament.

However, despite multiple rounds of talks, a decision regarding the PPP's inclusion in the Cabinet remained elusive. 

To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly. The PTI, backed by Independents, won 93 National Assembly seats, the PML-N got 75 while the PPP came third with 54 seats.