Sunni Ittehad Council joins hands with PTI, aims for government formation

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 19 : In a strategic move aimed at securing government formations in various regions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced an alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), marking a significant shift in its political maneuvers following the February 8 elections, as per Dawn.
Despite facing hurdles in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where negotiations with PTI Parliamentarians have been delayed due to leadership disputes, PTI leaders remain steadfast in their commitment to forming governments across the country.
During a press conference, PTI leaders expressed confidence in their electoral support, citing approximately 30 million votes gathered by PTI-backed candidates, even in the absence of the party's electoral symbol, the 'bat,' reported by Dawn.
Barrister Gohar Khan claimed that PTI had won "180 seats in the National Assembly, 115 seats in Punjab, 16 in Sindh, 42 in KP, and four in Balochistan". "In Balochistan, we have one seat; three are due. In Sindh, we did not get even a single seat. In Punjab, we are due about 50 seats," he added.
According to Dawn, to bolster its parliamentary numbers, PTI has forged alliances with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), previously collaborating with the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) in Punjab and at the federal level.
On February 18, the deal with the MWM seemingly fell through due to apparent criticism from the KP-based leaders of the PTI, who had opposed the idea on "sectarian grounds", said a PTI insider.
However, this was not confirmed by the PTI on record. PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan said, "The MWM and the PTI were old allies as well as partners in Gilgit-Baltistan and this partnership would continue."
As SIC leader Hafiz Hamid Raza arrived in Islamabad at the MWM secretariat to hold talks with the PTI on the power-sharing formula, the meeting was also attended by the MWM leaders. There was no official statement after the meeting.
As speculations on the break-up with the MWM continued, a PTI leader told Dawn that the MWM had not submitted a list of reserved candidates to the ECP before the elections, which could create problems for the merger. The MWM nominee had submitted nomination papers as an independent candidate.
"Later, the MWM acknowledged him and PTI also supported him. but MWM has not nominated even a single person for the reserved seats, due to which the Election Commission of Pakistan may say that the number of candidates for reserved seats can be increased only under one condition: when the party has already submitted a list of candidates for the reserved seat. In other words, a list can be updated but a new list cannot be submitted," the source said.
They claimed that the decision to align with the SIC was taken to avoid any "adverse decisions" by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, challenges persist in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where efforts to merge PTI-Parliamentarians with the PTI-P faction face opposition, prompting outreach to other political entities such as the Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam-Nazryati and Tehreek-i-Inqilab.
PTI leader Omar Ayub claimed that over the past 10 months, PTI workers had been "harassed" by the police and nominated in "fake and frivolous cases to coerce them to shun their leader Imran Khan.".
Ayub lamented that the police were picking up PTI workers and leaders and pressuring them to switch loyalties. He added that this was not the job of any caretaker set-up but unfortunately, the incumbent caretaker government had "exceeded its mandate".
When asked about the statement of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman regarding the role of former generals in pushing the no-confidence motion against ex-PM Khan,
Ayub said, "The claims made by the JUI-F leader "endorsed" the PTI founder's stance regarding an alleged conspiracy to remove him from power."
Regarding the scenario, Ayub said, "After becoming prime minister, his priority would be to ensure the "instant release" of Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and other party leaders, incarcerated women leaders, and activists."