Waseem Qadir, PTI-backed winner in the NA-121, officially joins PML-N.
After winning the NA-121 seat in Lahore on February 8, Waseem Qadir, an independent candidate supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), formally joins a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Qadir is shown with prominent party members, such as Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, in a video message issued by the PML-N, announcing his return “back home.”
After defeating Sheikh Rohail Asgher of the PML-N by a margin of more than 8,000 votes, Qadir declared his allegiance to the PML-N and pledged to advance his constituency and its people. Given that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PML-N both aggressively seek out support from independent candidates in order to bolster their standing, this action represents a serious loss for the PTI.
The first elected member to leave the party after the polls, the former PTI leader underlined that he joined the PML-N to better serve his constituency and its citizens.
Given the strategic significance of alliances in the post-election context, PTI faces increased hurdles as a result of the NA-121 seat loss. Despite not having a majority, the PML-N is now the largest party in the parliament with 79 seats after the poll. With both the PTI and the PML-N declaring victories, the aftermath of the elections has increased uncertainty and made it more difficult to build a stable administration.
Important coalition talks will take place in the next days as the nation struggles with urgent matters, such as negotiations for a new program to stabilize the economy from the International Monetary Fund. In order to become prime minister, the candidate must win a simple majority of 169 seats in the National Assembly; this objective depends on the outcome of coalition talks and the possibility that independents supported by Khan will join a smaller party bloc.
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