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<\/div>\nNo party has won a clear majority in the Pakistan election<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
New Delhi: <\/b><\/p>\n
The Pakistan election has failed to produce a clear winner, leaving the military’s favoured party having to cobble together a coalition in order to rule. The country faces days of political horse-trading after a strong performance by independent candidates loyal to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan scuppered the chances of the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from winning a ruling majority.<\/p>\n
Whoever becomes the Prime Minister, India will still have to deal with a problematic neighbour that gives shelter to terrorists. We look at how the Pakistani leaders who are in the running for the Prime Minister’s post will handle ties with India.<\/p>\n
Nawaz Sharif, who heads the PML-N, has expressed a keen interest in improving ties with India. His party manifesto promises a ‘Message of Peace’ to India, but only on the condition that India reverses the scrapping of special status under Article 370 of the Constitution from Jammu and Kashmir.<\/p>\n
Mr Sharif, who recently returned from exile, has acknowledged India’s progress and global achievements, advocating for renewed diplomatic ties between the two nations. PML-N took 71 seats, with 13 of the elected 266-seat National Assembly still to be announced as at 3.15 pm on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, 35, and the scion of the Bhutto dynasty and leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) entered the electoral fray with a rich political legacy. The son of Benazir Bhutto, he inherited a family history marked by tragedy and power struggles.<\/p>\n
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s stance on India has been multifaceted. While advocating normalisation of ties, he also made widely criticised comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US.<\/p>\n
Imran Khan, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, had in 2019 asked PM Modi to “give peace a chance” and expressed readiness to act on intelligence regarding the Pulwama attack that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Imran Khan welcomed a ceasefire agreement, stressing Islamabad’s readiness to address issues through dialogue. However, in June 2023, he highlighted the absence of progress in the quid-pro-quo relationship with India.<\/p>\n
Imran Khan’s PTI defied a months-long crackdown that crippled campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents with a combined showing that still challenged their rivals.<\/p>\n
The military looms large over Pakistan’s political landscape, with generals having run the country for nearly half its history since partition from India in 1947.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n