INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Two major Pakistan political parties said on Tuesday that they had reached a formal agreement to form a coalition government, ending ten
days of intense negotiations after an inconclusive national election did not return a clear majority, Reuters reported.The agreement between
Bhutto Zardari&s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of three-time Premier Nawaz Sharif ends days of
uncertainty and negotiations after the Feb
8 elections produced a hung national assembly.Bhutto Zardari confirmed at a late night press conference in Islamabad that former premier
Shehbaz Sharif, who was seated beside him, would be the coalition&s candidate for prime minister.He added that his father Asif Ali Zardari
will be the alliance&s candidate for the country&s president.Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz, said the two parties had the
numbers to form government, and also had the support of other smaller parties.PML-N is the largest party with 79 seats and PPP is second
They, along with four other smaller parties, have a comfortable majority in the legislature of 264 seats.The delay in forming a government
in the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million has caused concern as Pakistan is grappling with an economic crisis amid slow growth and record
inflation, rising militant violence, and needs a stable administration with the authority to take tough decisions.Bhutto Zardari said the
parties would push to form government as soon as possible.According to the country&s constitution, a session of parliament has to be called
29 after which a vote for a new prime minister will take place, read the report.The post Pakistan&s largest parties strike deal on coalition
government first appeared on Ariana News.
