Leaders of six major political parties announced on Tuesday that they will form government together to ‘steer Pakistan out of its current crisis’.

Leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Balochistan Awami Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party made the decision after a meeting at the house of Chaudhry Shujaat.

In a press conference after the meeting, PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari said that the parties present in the meeting formed two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.

He added that the way forward was through reconciliation between all parties. He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf should be also be part of the reconciliation process.

Zardari said that all parties would have to work together if Pakistan was to progress in the face of its current problems.

Shehbaz Sharif said that the parties present in the meeting had expressed their willingness to vote for PMLN’s candidate in the election for prime minister.

He declined to answer if the name for the joint candidate for the prime minister has been finalised, adding that he would ask Nawaz to accept the slot.

The PMLN president also said that the parties in the previous government had successfully saved Pakistan from bankruptcy and will help Pakistan navigate the current crisis again.

Shehbaz also said that Maryam Nawaz would be his party’s candidate for Punjab’s chief minister.

Asked if Zardari would be next president, Shehbaz told reporters that they ‘would not be disappointed’.

Sadiq Sanjrani, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Farooq Sattar, Kamran Tessori, Aleem Khan, Awn Chaudhry, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Ishaq Dar, Ayaz Sadiq and Qamar Zaman Kaira are also present in the meeting.

Nawaz nominates Shehbaz as PM candidate

PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif has announced that his brother, Shehbaz, will be the party’s candidate for prime minister, sources said on Tuesday.

According to sources, Nawaz told his party leadership that Shehbaz will be fielded as the PM candidate while Maryam Nawaz is expected to be nominated for the role of chief minister Punjab.

This story is being updated.