Islamabad, Feb 29: Shehbaz Sharif is set to become cash-strapped Pakistan’s Prime Minister once again after the parliamentary party of the PML-N party headed by three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday formally nominated his younger brother to head a coalition government and fix the economy.The high-level meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party was held in Islamabad with party supremo Nawaz Sharif, 74, in the chair.
Shehbaz Sharif, 72, led a coalition government for 16 months till August 2023 before the caretaker government took over following the announcement of general elections.
“Nawaz officially nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and party loyalist Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for the posts of prime minister and speaker of the National Assembly. The parliamentary party endorsed Shehbaz’s name and also reposed its full confidence in the leadership of Nawaz,” PML-N central deputy secretary Attaullah Tarar said in a statement after the meeting.
The nomination of Shehbaz Sharif as the next prime minister by Nawaz Sharif, who himself was eyeing the plum post for a record fourth time, had surprised many within and outside the party.
Nawaz Sharif said his younger brother Shehbaz is the best choice for the prime ministership, especially in Pakistan’s current circumstances.
He lauded Shehbaz’s performance as the Prime Minister during the tenure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement after the ouster of the cricketer-turned-politician and former prime minister Imran Khan.
“The way he stopped the country from defaulting is unprecedented,” Nawaz Sharif said.