PTI claims to have numbers to establish Central, Punjab govt

 Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday confirmed that the party had secured the requisite number of seats to form the government both at the Centre and in Punjab.

Fawad Chaudhary, a PTI spokesperson, claimed that the party had received the support of as many as 168 out of the 328-330 lawmakers that have been reinstituted in the National Assembly following the July 25 General Elections after counting the allocation of the reserved seats, the Dawn reported.

While the house is made of 342 seats, Chaudhary said that 10 seats would remain vacant owing to candidates being successful from more than one constituency, and the election for the remaining two seats was postponed.

The numbers have been secured with the help of seven seats from independent candidates, six from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), four from Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q), and two each from the the Balochistan Awami Party and the Grand Democratic Alliance.

Chaudhary also noted that the PML-Q declared its support for the PTI after the two parties arrived at an agreement, which includes the PML-Q being given the charge of various ministries at the Centre and in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the PTI also claimed that it had secured the backing of nearly 180 lawmakers in Punjab, where a party needs to secure at least 149 seats out of the 297 that constitute the assembly in the country's most populous province.

Although the breakdown of the party's numbers in Punjab still vague, a press release from the PTI's Central Media Department stated that several MPAs-elect had declared their support for the party following a meet with chairman Imran Khan.
PTI's chief rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had emerged as the leader in Punjab, having secured 129 seats, while the PTI was hot on its heels with 123.

However, having garnered the support of 13 independent candidates so far, the PTI took their tally to 136, expecting to rope in a further 10 in the next few days, and with the help of the eight PML-Q seats in the assembly, PTI will establish a majority in Punjab.

According to figures provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI was declared as the single largest party in the country following the July 25 elections, with 115 of the 270 National Assembly seats that were contested for, falling short of the 137 mark required for a clear majority.