Imran Khan's PTI-backed candidates join Sunni Ittehad Council

Candidates supported by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who emerged victorious as independents, have formally joined the Sunni Ittehad Council. a rightwing religiopolitical party according to a media report on Thursday.

These independent candidates assert that they possess the necessary numbers to establish a government, particularly crucial after recent elections in Pakistan resulted in a hung parliament.
Approximately 100 newly elected members of the National Assembly and around 200 in the provincial assemblies have merged into the Sunni Ittehad Council. This strategic move is aimed at securing their share of reserved seats for women and minorities.
The National Assembly, comprising 336 seats, reserves 60 seats for women and 10 for religious minorities, which are proportionately distributed among political parties.
Despite securing the highest number of seats in the elections Imran Khan's candidates faced challenges forming a coalition with other parties to achieve a simple majority.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have announced a power-sharing agreement to establish the next government. These two parties have historically alternated in governing Pakistan over its 70-year history, marked by periods of military dictatorships.
The candidates from Imran Khan's PTI contested the elections as independents since the party symbol, the bat, was removed from the ballot paper following court orders.
These candidates allege widespread election rigging and claim that their 'mandate was stolen,' a stance contested by both the government and the electoral body, both of which deny any wrongdoing.