Live: Elections 2024

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has requested his brother Nawaz Sharif to accept the office of the prime minister.

He also said that PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz will be the Punjab chief minister candidate after the party’s consultations.

Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) leader Aleem Khan has said that Pakistan was going through an extremely difficult phase with inflation impacting the poor and economic crisis aggravating.

Addressing a press conference with political bigwigs in attendance, Khan said everyone had to step up for difficult decisions, which were beneficial for the country.

“I am hopeful the upcoming government of Shehbaz Sharif will efficiently take such decisions and end miseries of the poor,” he added.

He said he was thankful to Chaudhry Shujaat for inviting all political leaders for important discussions.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said the next task on the agenda is to solve the country’s economic issues.

“Today we have united to tell the nation that we all accept the split mandate. I am thankful to Zardari and Bilawal that they decided for their party to vote for the PML-N,” he said and thanked the other gathered leaders as well.

Shehbaz said the other gathered parties with represented him “almost 2/3 majority” of the Parliament after elections.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said the political leaders together with him have gathered to tell the nation that election politics of opposition was over and now was the time with the Parliament to form.

“Now our war is against the country’s challenges. The first challenge is the economy. We have to stabilise it which is a tall task. Nations move forward when their leadership unites and decides to end conflicts and take the nation forward to eliminate problems.”

MQM-Pakistan Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has said that no interest could be greater than serving Pakistan for any party at the moment.

“With mutual cooperation, we will strengthen democracy and support Mian Shehbaz Sharif. We have supported him before and will do so in future,” he told a news conference with political bigwigs including Asif Ali Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and others present alongside.

Siddiqui said everyone must put aside their political interests and move ahead with a common approach to serve the country.

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that he and other political leaders realise the level of debt in the country and are aware of the issues affecting the country.

“Looking at everything, we have thought and decided to sit together. We have contested elections against each other but despite that, it is not necessary that [we fight] forever. Opposition happens in elections. It was electioneering opposition, not ideological opposition.”

Zardari said the leaders could sit together and talk together and run the country together.

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that he and other political leaders gathered with him have decided to form the government together.

“We will take Pakistan out of difficulty,” he said.

Leaders of the PML-N, PPP, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid are addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

The PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have held a meeting on the current political situation and government formation.

Both parties agreed to move forward with mutual cooperation and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the MQM-P for its support.

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), a Sindh-based political alliance, has announced to stage protest demonstration on Hyderabad-Jamshoro bypass on Feb 16 against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 general elections.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, GDA General Secretary Safdar Abbasi said the Feb 8 elections had been controversial across the world and no country was willing to accept the results.

“The PPP is not even popular among the public and the significant numbers of it obtained is itself questionable,” said Abbasi, who was flanked by other leaders including Hasnain Mirza, Liaquat Jatoi and others.

The GDA leaders appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the “fraud elections” and declare its results null and void.

In a message from jail through his family, PTI founder Imran Khan thanked the people of Pakistan for “entrusting the PTI with a resounding two-thirds majority”.

He commended the PTI’s social media and also appreciated polling agents for securing Form-45 “in the face of harassment and threats”.

“As the people of Pakistan have clearly pronounced their verdict, there is a dire need for democracy and fairness in Pakistan’s elections. I warn against the misadventure of forming a government with stolen votes. Such daylight robbery will not only be a disrespect to the citizens, but will also push the country’s economy further into a downward spiral,” Imran said.

“PTI will never compromise on people’s will, and I have categorically instructed my party against engaging with any political party that has robbed people’s mandate, including PPP, PMLN & MQM,” he added.

The PPP has announced the names of the members of its six-member committee tasked with contacting and coordinating with political parties.

Earlier in a press conference, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the PPP would lend its support to the incoming government but would not join the federal cabinet. He said the party was constituting a committee in this regard.

In a post on X, the PPP said the committee comprises Qamar Zaman Kaira, Murad Ali Shah, Saeed Ghani, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and Shuja Khan.

PTI founder Imran Khan, who is incarcerated at Adiala Jail, has said he is not being moved to Bani Gala, according to a statement released by the party.

In a post on X, the PTI shared a message Imran had sent for party workers via his lawyers, who met him at Adiala Jail today.

“It is our responsibility to carry forward the public’s mandate, and start working wherever the government is to be formed,” Imran said in the message.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Central Information Secretary Qaisar Sharif has told Geo News that the PTI’s proposal for a coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa arose in an Islamabad meeting today, adding that the JI did not give a final answer on the matter as of yet.

He said the JI would hold consultations and then give a reply to the PTI.

Sharif said the two parties were in talks soon after the elections and the JI had given an unconditional positive response to the PTI of “providing protection” to independent candidates.

The PTI has said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is trying to save his party’s hereditary politics by “corruption and power-sharing”.

In response to Bilawal’s press conference, the PTI said that if Bilawal’s approach was democratic he would have recognised the public mandate instead of holding meetings with PML-N leaders at Jati Umra.

“After the awareness given by Imran Khan, the nation knows that the PPP and the PML-N are two sides of the same coin, responsible for drowning the people in the mire of inflation and destroying the country’s economy,” the party said in a statement on X.

Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas has welcomed his party’s alliance with the PTI, saying that his party has stood by Imran Khan since the events of ‘regime change’ in April 2022 and will continue to do so “till the last drop of our blood”.

“We want unity in Pakistan and desires to see this country progress,” Allama Abbas told Geo News.

Abbas said his party had no greed or made any demands from the PTI. “We have a principled stand that what happened [with the PTI] was wrong.”

The MWM chief regretted laws had been enacted recently to suppress the PTI, adding that promoting certain political parties through an agenda should not happen in a democratic culture. “I hope sanity prevails now.”

“We have told Imran that we are with him on his principles until last drop of our blood,” he told the TV channel.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said facts cannot be obscured by accusations of rigging, hinting at the PTI.

In a post on X, he said the PML-N was ready to sit in the opposition benches if independents proved their majority.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the PTI’s refusal to speak to “any political party” reflected that they were creating an “environment of political stability”.

At a press conference, Bilawal alleged that the PTI wanted to continue an “extreme populist politics in which they want to play the role of a spoiler”.

He said the Imran Khan-led party wanted to de-legitimise as many democratic processes as possible. “They believe it’s to their political benefit to spread chaos in this country.”

PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said he would like to see his father Asif Ali Zardari become the president.

“And I am not saying this because he is my father. I am saying this because the country is in a huge crisis at the moment and if anyone has the capacity to douse this fire, it is Asif Ali Zardari,” he asserted.

In response to a question, Bilawal said all political forces needed to think about the country and end the politics of division. “They must not just think about themselves […] this way the enemies of the country would want to benefit from this crisis.”

“It takes two to tango.”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said the PTI is taking decisions that are not favourable for democracy, referring to the Imran Khan-led party’s recent announcement that it would not hold dialogue with the PML-N, PTI and MQM-P.

“Saying that we will not talk with anyone, okay don’t do it. But why did people give you a vote? They voted for you to resolve their problems […] a political force must listen to others.

“When they don’t do that, it damages the country,” Bilawal pointed out.

He stated that the PPP had today once again decided to raise the slogan of “Pakistan khappay” only for the sake of the country and in the interest of the people.

“We will support political parties without becoming part of the government in the shape of ministries or PDM 2 as people are saying. We will not become part of it. As far as premiership issues, budget and legislation are concerned, we will support them,” Bilawal added.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said his party has accepted the election results, despite concerns, in the larger interest of the country.

“We want all the political parties to address the shortcomings so that no one can point fingers at elections the next time. We will also utilise available forums like ECP, parliament, etc in addressing these issues,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad.

He said that his party had raised concerns regarding a level playing field with Asif Ali Zardari during the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting and the latter had assured that these complaints would be addressed.

“In conclusion, the PPP has made the decision that we may not be a part of the government but we will engage with political parties on the issue of votes and the election of prime minister.

“I am assuring the public that the Parliament will be formed and it is a forum where their issues will be resolved,” Bilawal added.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says the PPP has decided to form a committee to engage with other political parties for the formation of government and political stability.

“The PPP has decided that we are unable or not in a position to join federal government ourselves, nor are we interested in taking ministries in such a setup. We also don’t want to see political chaos in the country,” he said.

“The PPP has decided that we ran this election on a manifesto based on issues of public importance […] we want to restore political stability and want to end this environment of political toxicity.

“To that end, the PPP will be willing to support the case of important votes — a candidate of the PM of Pakistan — and issue to issue basis to ensure that the government is formed and political stability is restored,” Bilawal said.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said the reality is that his party does not have a mandate to form a government in the federation.

“Due to this, I will not be putting myself forward for the candidacy of the prime minister of Pakistan,” he said, adding that PML-N and the independents have greater numbers in the Centre.

He further highlighted now that the PTI had refused to form a coalition with the PPP which left the PML-N as the only party that had invited the PPP to join the government.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is holding a press conference in Islamabad following a two-day long party meeting.

At the outset of the media talk, Bilawal said the current situation of the country, the political situation, the threat to political stability and the concerns regarding Pakistan reaching a crisis point were discussed in the meeting.

“PPP’s principle decision is to take Pakistan out of the current crisis,” he said.

PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan has said party founder Imran Khan had given the go ahead to the party for the formation of the government with the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen in the Centre and Punjab.

“And in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for reserved seats, we will form a coalition with the Jamaat-i-Islami,” he said.

“Imran has a clear message that formation of a government is the right of who had won the elections,” he told a press conference in Islamabad. Hassan said “power wielders” must introspect their actions.

Aleem Khan, the sister of former premier Imran Khan, has said the PTI founder wants the votes “stolen from the PTI to be returned”.

“The entire world has acknowledged that rigging took place and it would be best that the PTI’s votes are returned, otherwise the people may take to the streets for their mandate,” Aleem said.

Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society (PESS) President retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum has said candidates who contested the Feb 8 general elections must accept the results.

“If someone got a result against them, then they must sit in the opposition and there is no harm in it,” he told a presser in Islamabad.

Without naming anyone, Qayyum said: “You had taken to the streets before, derailed the system and attacked the military establishment but the results of all such actions are known to everyone.”

He said “innocent people” must not be misguided. “Election results must be accepted and the Election Commission of Pakistan and courts are proper forums, which must be approached if anyone has complaints.”

He also urged stakeholders not to “defame big institutions like the Pakistan Army and the judiciary”.

Barrister Ali Zafar has said the PTI would hold its intra-party elections within a week or 10 days.

“You must remember that intra-party elections were ready and the process is underway […] today, Khan sahib told us to speed up the process,” he said in a media talk outside Adiala Jail.

In response to questions, Barrister Zafar stated the Election Commission of Pakistan will have to “accept the intra-party polls”.

Barrister Gohar Khan has said PTI founder Imran Khan wants the party to form its “own government” whether it is in the Centre, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Punjab.

“In KP, Ali Amin Gandapur has been nominated as the chief minister. In a day or two, we will also announce our candidates for the speaker and the deputy speaker,” he added.

Meanwhile, Barrister Ali Zafar said that keeping in view the “actual results of elections, the PTI is in a position to form a government today”.

Barrister Gohar Khan has given details of all the National Assembly seats allegedly won by the PTI in the February 8 elections. At a press conference, he said these details would also be provided in the form of a white paper.

• 3 seats in Islamabad
• 4 seats in Balochistan
• 115 seats in Punjab
• 16 seats in Sindh
• 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

“This way, the PTI has won 180 seats in Pakistan and this is the public’s mandate. We will share the Form-45s in the form of a white paper,” Gohar said, adding that the mandate of the public should be respected.

“We request the judiciary and ECP take responsibility and announce a decision on this,” he added.