PML-N, PPP clinch deal; Shehbaz Sharif set to be Pak PM; Asi Ali Zardari slated to be Prez

Insight Online News

Islamabad, Feb 21 : PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif is set to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan while PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is slated to be the President of the country, according to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. After days of hectic parleys, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) late on Tuesday reached an agreement to form the coalition government and who will be on the top slots, Geo News reported. In a joint press conference, Bilawal said that Sharif is slated to be the Prime Minister while his father (Asif Ali Zardari) is set to become the President of the country. The PPP chairman said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which had allied with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), did not have the required numbers to form the government at the Centre. On the occasion, former prime minister Sharif thanked all top leaders of the two parties and said that they will form the government at the Centre. In the February 8 general elections, the PML-N had secured 75 seats while the PPP bagged 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats. A party needs 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly or the lower house of Parliament to form the government. IANS