ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party tacitly acknowledged its inability to form the next government on Wednesday, with one of its officials criticizing the coalition government agreement among rival factions as a reflection of the disdain for the welfare of people.

The PTI, which was deprived of election symbol ahead of the February 8 polls by the country’s superior judiciary that judged its intra-party polls to be flawed, was forced to field its candidates as independents who later emerged as the single largest group in the National Assembly.

Despite getting more than 90 seats, however, the PTI has fallen short of simple majority and cannot get its share of reserved seats for women and religious minorities under the election rules since it could not contest the polls as a political party.

This situation benefited its rival factions, who, despite trailing behind, successfully negotiated and reached a coalition government agreement a day earlier.

“Pakistan is being put on road to further destabilization,” Raoof Hasan, a PTI spokesperson, said in a social media post. The decision to induct a bunch of criminals to form governments, who have been rejected by the people, reflects a myopic view of the grave challenges the country is beset with.”

Hasan said the people of Pakistan had voted for Khan while describing the PTI founder as the only leader who could bring the country out of a “deepening quagmire.”

However, he maintained that his party’s mandate was “stolen in the dark of the night.”

“This is striking at the very essence of democratic principles & norms,” he added. “It also reflects a disdain for the national interests & the welfare of its people. Forces of dark must be stopped and power must pass on to those whom the people have chosen as their leaders.”

The PTI’s rival factions, led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), got together to discuss the country’s ongoing political situation in the wake of the recent elections.

They agreed to work together under the leadership of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also managed a coalition setup ahead of the recent polls.