Pakistan’s parliament has elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister on April 11 after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) President Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan after 174 lawmakers voted in his favour after Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNAs boycotted the election and walked out of the halls.
Former opposition leader Sharif, 70, is set to serve as Prime Minister until the next general election, expected soon.
He was elected prime minister on April 11, the same day Shehbaz and his son Hamza were likely to be indicted in an Rs14 billion money laundering case. The court differed the case until April 27 and extended their interim bail.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan sarcastically said that a person who is facing a money laundering case is being elected as prime minister.
Who is Shehbaz Sharif?
Shehbaz Sharif, a steel dynasty heir, is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, a three-time former Pakistani prime minister. Shehbaz Sharif has always been in the shadow of his older brother, Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted by the court on corruption charges and barred from holding office for life.
He served as chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, prior to Imran Khan coming to power in 2018. Sharif had a reputation for efficiency and being hardworking, and is credited with making significant infrastructure improvements. However, his critics have accused him of cronyism and corruption.
Imran Khan’s supporters regard the Sharif clan as part of the dynastic, corrupt “old Pakistan”.