Pakistan's largest political parties formally announce coalition government

Two of Pakistan's political parties have formally announced the formation of a coalition government.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as president.

The deal was finalised between the coordination committees of both parties, Pakistani media sources said, adding that the agreement ends days of uncertainty and negotiations after the Feb 8 elections produced a hung national assembly.

PML-N is the largest party with 79 seats and PPP is second with 54. They, along with four other smaller parties, have a comfortable majority in the legislature.

The delay in forming a government has caused concern as Pakistan is grappling with an economic crisis amid slow growth and record inflation, rising militant violence, and needs a stable administration with the authority to take tough decisions. (QNA)