Shehbaz Sharif is all set to return as the Prime Minister and Asif Ali Zardari as the President of Pakistan after the two old-guard parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), reached a power-sharing agreement.
The announcement comes after a nearly two-week-long political deadlock in the country following the February 8 elections, which resulted in a hung assembly with no party securing the 133 seats mandated for a simple majority out of 265 contested seats in the Pakistan National Assembly.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won 79 seats while the Pakistan Peoples Party came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support the coalition with their 17 seats.
The new government in Pakistan is faced with challenges in handling the country's economic crisis and security issues. In 2023, Pakistan averted a default when the International Monetary Fund provided a $3 billion short-term loan. Then there are also terrorism-related challenges that have resurfaced after the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2021.
Keeping a close eye on Pakistan, New Delhi considers the new military-backed civilian government as weak and unstable, especially amid allegations of rigging in the February 8 polls. The new government, on expected lines, has ensured that jailed former PM Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remains out of power despite candidates backed by it dominating the election results with 93 seats in the country’s contentious election.
