LAHORE: All the parties have been urged to accept each other’s mandate by allowing the single largest party in the Centre and each province to form its government for the sake of democracy and political stability in the country.

Tehreek-i-Istaqlal President Rehmat Khan Wardag said on Monday that all the parties should accept and respect each other’s mandate in the Feb 8th election so that the democracy could flourish and the country could witness the much-needed political stability.

Talking to reporters, Mr Wardag said the PTI-backed independent candidates emerged as the largest victorious group, both in the Centre and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; therefore, they should be given the first right to form governments in Islamabad and Peshawar.

Likewise, he said, the PML-N should form its government in Punjab, PPP in Sindh and a coalition government of the PPP, PML-N and JUI-F in Balochistan where no single party could win a sizable number of seats to form a government on its own.

Mr Wardag said if the PTI failed to form its government in the Centre, only then the PML-N and PPP should think of forming any ruling alliance. He urged the PTI leadership to also accept the results instead of crying foul without evidence because if there had been rigging, the top leaders like Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Javed Lateef and Jahangir Tareen in Punjab and the provincial presidents of four major parties would not have been defeated in Balochistan.

He further said acceptance of each other’s mandate would lower the political tensions and restore public confidence in the political process and democracy while it would also give the country stability that had been missing for the last many years.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2024