Islamabad, Pakistan – Three weeks before Pakistan’s general elections, former foreign minister and chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appeared in an interview on a private news channel. Criticizing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leadership, the PPP chief accused the PMLN’s policies of harming the country’s economy.
Following the February 8 elections, the PPP’s former president Asif Ali Zardari held a press conference alongside leaders of various parties, including the PMLN, announcing a coalition government on February 13. This coalition, led by the PMLN and supported by the PPP, looks set to form the next government in Pakistan with over 150 seats combined.
In the upcoming coalition, the PMLN leader Shehbaz Sharif has been chosen as the nominee for premiership. Bhutto Zardari announced that the PPP would not join the cabinet this time. The vice president of the PPP, Sherry Rehman, stated that politics was not a “zero-sum game” and emphasized on the party’s focus on working for grassroots change.
While some question the motivations behind the PPP joining the coalition, others suggest the party seeks to influence policymaking without having to be accountable to the electorate. This new partnership has led to speculation that it could be seen as an extension of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, which previously ruled between 2022 and 2023.
The PPP’s willingness to work with other parties is seen as a step towards achieving political stability, despite facing widespread skepticism over the legitimacy of the election results. The party aims to unite all parties in order to overcome the crises faced by Pakistan, even if it means taking a step back in order to do so.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, currently behind bars on politically motivated charges, has been adamant about not engaging in any partnership with the PPP and the PMLN. However, the PPP remains open to working with all parties to bring about stability in the country.