THE party of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and its allies announced that they will jointly form a coalition government.

The deal, announced on Tuesday, came after no party won an outright majority in last week's parliamentary elections and was announced hours after the parties — all rivals of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan — met in Islamabad.

The meeting was attended by the Pakistan People's Party of former president Asif Ali Zardari and by Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, including his younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Mr Khan when he was ousted through a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022.