Shehbaz Sharif has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan and will be swearing in as the Imran Khan successor tonight. The leader of the opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif was elected through a vote in the National Assembly.
The development comes just a day after Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan was ousted from being the Prime Minister of Pakistan due to the successful passing of the no-confidence motion. According to a Dawn report, ahead of the National Assembly vote, Imran Khan and his lawmakers in the Tehreek-e-Insaf party issued their resignation to the Assembly Speaker.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Shehbaz Sharif submitted his nomination papers to the National Assembly Secretariat along with the nomination papers of former Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
It should be noted that Shehbaz Sharif is the younger of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He has served as Pakistan’s Punjab province Chief Minister for three times (1997, 2008, 2013), and is the longest-serving CM of the Punjab province. Meanwhile, Imran Khan has a record on his name he would surely like to forget – being the first Pakistan PM to be removed from the office with no-confidence vote.
The Facts of the Matter
Pakistan opposition party Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Shehbaz Sharif is all set to be next unopposed Prime Minister of Pakistan. He will be succeeding Imran Khan who set the record by being the first person to be removed from the office through no-confidence motion earlier on Saturday.
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Imran Khan Calls Assembly Members ‘Thieves’
Meanwhile, Khan resigned as the National Assembly member, labelling the fellow assembly members as ‘thieves’.
“A man who has one corruption case of 16 billion rupees and another corruption case of 8 billion rupees against him…for that person to be selected and elected as the Prime Minister, there cannot be a bigger insult to the country. We are resigning from the National Assembly,” Imran Khan was quoted as saying.
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How Was Sharif Cleared of Money Laundering Case
For the unversed, Shehbaz Sharif has been named in a PKR 14 million worth money-laundering case. However, on Sunday, the Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer who was in-charge of the case, was granted a leave for indefinite period. On Monday, the Pakistan court deferred the indictment of Sharif until April 27, clearing the way for Shehbaz to become the new PM of Pakistan.
Kissa Kursi Ka – The Saga As it Unfolded
The news of Pakistan’s new Prime Minister emerging comes just days after a no-trust motion ousted Imran Khan. It all started when two major opposition parties – the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – filing a no-confidence motion against Khan.
Soon, allies of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf parties also joined the opposition which made Imran Khan’s position in the parliament weaker. After multiple delays, the Pakistan National Assembly finally passed a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
Who is Shehbaz Sharif the new PM of Pak?
70-Year-Old Shehbaz Sharif is the younger brother of former Pakistan premier Nawaaz Sharif. Born in the family of influence and wealth, he went on to serve as Chief Minister of Pakistan Punjab province thrice and in process, becoming the longest-serving CM of Pakistan’s Punjab.
His foray into politics came when he was elected the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab in 1997. However, he was imprisoned due to a military coup and served an exiled in Saudi Arabia from 2000. He joined politics in 2007 again and became Chief Minister of Punjab again.
Like his brother Nawaaz Sharif, Shehbaz has also been accused of money laundering. In December 2019, 23 properties belonging to Sharif and his sons were frozen. In September 2020, Shehbaz was also arrested and was incarcerated later pending a trial. In April 2021, he was released on bail.
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