There was no progress in the formation of a new coalition government in Pakistan on Tuesday as top leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) failed to agree on a power-sharing deal in their latest round of talks, indicating deepening fissures in the country's political landscape.
President Alvi recalled the fight for the EVMs waged by the previous PTI-led government, saying that the entire endeavour -- which involved more than 50 meetings at the presidency alone -- was abandoned.
On Sunday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) formed the committee to probe the explosive allegations levelled by former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha that widespread rigging aided by the judiciary and the top election body took place against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Pakistan's election commission on Sunday declared the final result of Thursday's general elections in which independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party got the biggest piece of the cake by winning 101 seats.
A political source revealed that Naqvi assumed the role of chairman through a clear understanding between influential stakeholders and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The announcement of results was delayed beyond normal, giving air to speculation about vote rigging.
In a breakthrough that could end the political uncertainty in Pakistan, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party have agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a new coalition government after intense negotiations following a fractured poll verdict.
In a surprise development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Tuesday nominated its president Shehbaz Sharif as the prime ministerial candidate of Pakistan instead of the party supremo and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Jailed ex-Pakistan premier Imran Khan's party-backed independent candidates on Friday sprang a surprise by winning 86 seats out of the 201 results declared following unusual delays and allegations of rigging, as the country appeared heading towards a hung assembly.
Pakistan's election commission has formed a high-level committee to probe the explosive allegations levelled by a senior bureaucrat that widespread rigging aided by the judiciary and the top election body happened against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Wasim Qadir, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidate who defeated PML-N's stalwart Sheikh Rohail Asghar from Lahore's National Assembly-121 constituency, joined the PML-N after a meeting with Maryam Nawaz, daughter of the party supremo Nawaz Sharif, at her residence.
Karachi and Sindh are not Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf territory; traditionally, the city and the province where it is located are Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement strongholds, which makes the turnout at Imran's rally interesting.
Springing a surprise, independents backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won the lion's share of 101 seats in the National Assembly in Thursday's election.
Sources in the PML-N told the Press Trust of India in Lahore that Nawaz Sharif decided to withdraw himself from the race for the prime minister's office for his daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz, 50.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced that independent candidates, a majority of them supported by the PTI secured 101 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 75 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) getting 54 seats, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) bagging 17 seats.
Among the political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the largest party, winning 227 seats, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 160 seats.
The PTI government lost the majority in the lower house of the parliament following the late-night development ahead of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan on April 3.
The lawmakers expressed concerns about "pre- and post-poll rigging in Pakistan's recent parliamentary elections" and urged the US Congress to "withhold recognition of a new government in Pakistan until a thorough, transparent, and credible investigation of election interference has been conducted".
The FIA has been tasked with probing various allegations of funding by Research and Analysis Wing to MQM.
At least 24 more people were killed and over 200 injured as violence continued in Karachi, taking the total death toll to 82.
Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement party has demanded fresh polls in Karachi constituency, rejecting the Election Commission's decision to conduct re-polling only at 43 stations of the National Assembly seat. The Election Commission of Pakistan had announced re-polling at 43 polling stations of constituency NA-250 Karachi, where polling was postponed on election day due to reports of alleged rigging.
A powerful bomb went off at a busy intersection in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Tuesday, injuring over 30 people, witnesses and police officials said.
The Pakistani Taliban has said that it will carry out more attacks on "secular" political parties like the ANP and MQM, warning people to stay away from their rallies, a day after a blast outside an ANP gathering injured about 10 people.
Sharif, the three-time former premier, said that there is a need for all the political parties to sit together and form a government to pull Pakistan out of its difficulties.
At least nine people were killed and scores injured in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi On Tuesday as a fallout of political violence triggered by the shooting of an Muttahida Quami Movement leader and his brother by unidentified gunmen.
Zardari held meetings with leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement hours after he flew into a Pakistan Air Force base in Karachi early Monday morning.
The repercussions of the Pakistan Supreme Court's verdict declaring the amnesty law as 'unconstitutional' has started showing effects with the Interior Ministry placing the names of 253 beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance, including Interior Minister Rehman Malik, on the Exit Control List. The latest move has thus barred Malik from moving out of the country. The names of other prominent people on the ECL include Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar.
The civil war-like situation in Karachi continues without respite. Seventy-three persons belonging to different communities and religious sects were reported to have been killed -- many of them in targeted shootings and some kidnapped and tortured to death --during four days of fresh violence between August 16 and 19. The level of violence considerably came down on August 20.
At least five people were shot dead on Wednesday in different incidents of target killings in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi.
Most Pakistani politicians have not matched the contributions made by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie and the national cricket team for the millions of people affected by devastating floods sweeping the country.
Pakistani intelligence agencies have warned that the local Taliban, the Jandullah group and other banned militant groups have plans to target foreigners, embassies and Shia clerics and worship places in major cities in Pakistan, including capital Islamabad.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday held talks with leaders from various political parties in Pakistan, including Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz's Shahbaz Sharif to whom he presented a 'chaddar' to be placed on the revered shrine of Data Darbar which was attacked by terrorists recently.A delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders led by Overseas Pakistan Affairs Minister Farooq Sattar met Krishna on Friday morning.
PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is still in the race for the prime ministerial slot despite his party not securing a simple majority in the Feb 8 general elections in Pakistan, some PML-N leaders said on Monday.
As clamours for his resignation mounted with withdrawal of support from his key ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan's beleaguered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday reached out to the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam in desperate attempts to shore up his government.
Bugti announced that he would support the Opposition in the wake of the no-confidence motion submitted against Imran Khan. Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf set to face a no-trust motion in the National Assembly.
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A political storm appeared to be brewing in Pakistan on Monday with Asif Ali Zardari's ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement asking him to quit over a controversial law that allowed the President to return home in 2007 by scrapping graft cases and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif threatening to challenge the legislation in court.
Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, is expected to become Pakistan's new prime minister as the coalition of leading political parties led by them is set to comfortably cross the simple majority mark to form the next government after elections produced a split mandate.
Bilawal has said the reality is that his party does not have a mandate to form a federal government.
Ruling out war with India, Pakistan on Monday said it is willing to cooperate in fighting terrorism, a scourge affecting both the countries. "There is need for joint efforts by both Pakistan and India to fight terrorism and we are willing to cooperate with India fully in this regard," Pakistan prime minister's advisor on interior affairs Rehman Malik said.
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