Shehbaz Sharif poised to become Pakistan’s next PM amid coalition support, facing challenges from rival nominee
Shehbaz Sharif became the prime minister of Pakistan for a second time to lead a coalition government after he won a majority in the newly-elected Parliament on Sunday amid sloganeering by the Opposition, led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
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Sharif thanked his allies in the coalition government for putting their trust in him and making him Leader of the House. “When my Quaid (leader Nawaz) was elected the prime minister thrice, the development that followed in the country is an example of its own. And it is not wrong to say that Nawaz Sharif is the one who built Pakistan,” Shehbaz said in his victory speech.
He thanked his elder brother Nawaz and all the allies for putting their trust in him and making him Leader of the House. The 72-year-old leader, who was the consensus candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), received 201 votes, 32 more than what was required to become leader of the House in the 336-member Parliament.
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The PML-N’s challenger Omar Ayub Khan of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI secured 92 votes. National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq announced the results appointing Shehbaz as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan. Shehbaz will be administered the oath of office on Monday at the Presidential mansion, Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The session of the new parliament convened amid ruckus and sloganeering by PTI-backed lawmakers. The PTI-backed lawmakers shouted slogans of ‘Azaadi (freedom)’ and Qaidi #804’, a reference to incarcerated Imran Khan. Some of the PTI-backed lawmakers also held posters of Imran Khan. In response, PML-N lawmakers shouted ‘long live Nawaz’ and waved wristwatches at the opposition benches — referring to the Toshakhana corruption case against Khan.
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The PML-N party supremo Nawaz Sharif was the first person who voted for Shehbaz in the race for the election of the prime minister. Before the vote, the PTI said the graceful thing that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif could have done was to accept defeat. “..but he chose to live his life in shame. Every day will be worse than the previous one for these Coalition Of Losers, especially Nawaz Sharif & Maryam!” the party said in a post on X.
Shehbaz earlier served as prime minister of a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023 before Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections. In the February 8 polls, the Sharifs-led party failed to garner a clear majority, albeit technically, it is the largest party with 75 out of the 265 contested seats. Besides the PPP, Shehbaz was backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Balochistan Awami Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Z), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and the National Party.
(With agency inputs)
