ALI HUSSAIN & NAVEED BUTT
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Punjab is likely yet the party’s claim of having achieved the required numbers is not verifiable with an extremely murky situation given the lack of clarity as to which seat would be retained by those who won multiple seats.
This was the outcome of a careful review of the numbers by the Business Recorder. Out of the total 297 general seats in the provincial assembly, the PTI has won 123 while the PML-N got 129 seats in July 25 general elections.
PTI has claimed to have achieved the support of 149 members in the Punjab assembly, the number required to show a simple majority and form the government in the province.
The statistics of this claim are as follows: PML-Q 7 seats, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) one seat, Pakistan Awami Raaj (PAR) one seat, giving a total of 132 PTI seats.
PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the party has support of the majority of 28 independents and has achieved the required number to make the government. He also claimed that negotiations were still ongoing to get the support of more independent members in the provincial assembly.
The PTI sources have revealed that so far 14 independents have announced their support to the party in provincial assembly which brings the number to 146, still short of three members to declare a simple majority of 149 members, required for the formation of the government in the province.
PML-N won 129 seats and requires the support of another 20 members to form the government. In the event that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), with 6 members elected, decides to support PML-N, its total number reaches 135, short of 14 members to get a simple majority.
The PML-N leaders are claiming support of independents in the provincial assembly but have shown uncharacteristic reluctance to make details public.
When asked about the party’s efforts to form the government in Punjab, senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq declined to share any details. “It is not the vote but the ‘notes’ (currency) which make governments’, Rafiq said in a brief chat with Business Recorder apparently in reference to horse-trading in Punjab.
Rana Sanaullah claimed that majority of independents were supporting PML-N.
PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif won one National Assembly seat and two provincial assembly seats and would have to decide whether to retain the National Assembly seat or one provincial assembly seat from the two he won - PP-164 and PP-165.
Hamza Shahbaz won one National Assembly and one provincial assembly seat and would have to vacate one seat.
PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry won one National Assembly and one provincial assembly seat and would have to surrender one seat. Tahir Sadiq won two National Assembly seats and one provincial assembly seat and in the event that he opts to retain the National Assembly seat, Sadiq would have to vacate a provincial assembly seat.
PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi won two National Assembly and one provincial assembly seats of which he can retain only one.
