Imran Khan to be sworn in as Pak PM before Aug 14 — Party

Islamabad, July 29 (PTI): Imran Khan will be sworn in as Pakistan’s new Prime Minister before the country’s Independence Day on August 14, his party has announced as it is trying to reach out to smaller parties and independents to form the next government.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), led by 65-year-old Khan, has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly (NA) after the July 25 elections, but it is still short of numbers to form the government on its own.

PTI leader Naeenul Haq told media last night that consultations are on to complete the number game.

“We have done our homework and he will take oath as Prime Minister before August 14,” Haq said.

According to the results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the PTI has won 116 seats.

Jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 64 seats and former president Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 43 seats are placed at number two and three respectively, it said.

Pakistan’s NA – the lower house of Parliament – comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected. A party needs 172 seats to form the government.

Meanwhile, the claims of vote-rigging also gatherd steam in Pakistan as five empty ballot boxes and over a dozen papers have been found by the roadside in Karachi and Sialkot, raising suspicion over the poll body’s claims of having conducted free and fair general elections.

Political activities are at full swing and parties are holding open meetings and secret parleys to arrange the political chessboard.

Pakistan’s two major parties, the PPP and the PML-N, are expected to meet in a couple of days to devise a joint strategy in a bid to give a tough time to the PTI in Parliament, Dawn news reported.

The Pakistani electronic media yesterday kept on mentioning names of possible candidates for key government offices and possible members of the federal cabinet.

The PTI leaders who have won more than one seat will have to vacate additional seats as the law allows an individual to retain only one seat.