Pakistan stalemate ends; Nawaz Sharif’s party seeks to get partner PPP to join Cabinet

A political stalemate in Pakistan, after an inconclusive election, ended with Shehbaz Sharif chosen to lead the country again, while efforts were under way on February 14 to get the second-largest party to join the government to ensure stability.

A political stalemate in Pakistan, after an inconclusive election, ended with Shehbaz Sharif chosen to lead the country again, while efforts were under way on February 14 to get the second-largest party to join the government to ensure stability.

Mr. Sharif (72) who was the Prime Minister for 16 months until August, was late on February 13 named as the coalition candidate for next premier by his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, founder and supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the largest party in Parliament.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the second largest, backed the choice but did not commit to joining the government, indicating it would support a minority government from the outside.

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Pakistan's stock market cheered the overnight news that ended the stalemate after the February 8 vote, with the benchmark index rising as much as 2% on Wednesday - its biggest such gain since the delayed election results over the weekend.

Officials in both PML-N and PPP said they had formed internal committees to discuss the modalities of government formation and the agenda included getting PPP to join the administration and take cabinet positions.

"They are trying their level best but we are not joining the cabinet up until now," PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi said. Analysts say that Pakistan needs a stable government with political authority to be able to take tough decisions to help pull the country out of its economic crisis.