Zardari demands PM's slot for Bilawal in return for supporting PML-N in Punjab

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif told his party leaders that former president Asif Zardari has demanded the prime minister's slot for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and major ministerial portfolios.

In a major development, the PPP has agreed to form a coalition government with the PML-N on the condition that Bilawal will be made the PM, reports Geo News, citing other news outlets and sources.

Shehbaz told the party leaders that Zardari offered, in exchange, that the PPP would support the PML-N to form its government in Punjab.

The general elections in Pakistan were held on Thursday.  The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the complete results of the elections on Sunday.

According to the election results announced for the National Assembly, or the lower house of the country's parliament, independent candidates got 101 seats. Out of the 101 independent winners, more than 93 are backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif got 75 seats and the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari got 54 seats.

Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif met former president Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal on Friday night and discussed the future coalition

In this regard, a meeting of PML-N leadership was held on Saturday, which was headed by Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting was attended by Senator Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar, Attaullah Tarar, Khawaja Imran Nazir and others.

PML-N sources added that so far making a coalition with Zardari was the first option the PML-N was exploring but didn’t want to give away the slot of prime minister.

Sources claimed the meeting decided that in case the negotiations with PPP failed, the PML-N would make a coalition government with MQM, JUI-F and other smaller parties, including independents and electables. They further claimed that in this scenario, PML-N will make Shehbaz Sharif the prime minister and Maryam Nawaz the Chief Minister of Punjab.