Nawaz Sharif wants younger brother to be next Pakistan PM

ISLAMABAD

: Nawaz Sharif has nominated his younger brother

Shahbaz Sharif

to be his successor. Shahbaz, who is currently Punjab’s chief minister, was seen as a strong contender for the job even before his brother’s disqualification.

But to be PM, he will have to first step down from the provincial assembly seat and then get elected to the

National Assembly

before becoming eligible for the post.

According to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (

PML-N

) veterans, Shahbaz will contest from the constituency which fell vacant with Nawaz Sharif’s ouster.

As a stopgap measure, PML-N will have to bring in an interim prime minister for at least seven weeks before electing Shahbaz as PM.

The opposition is also expected to field a candidate but it will be just a formality considering the support Sharif and his coalition partners command in parliament.

In the 342-seat lower house, PML-N and allies have a strength of 209. The voting is likely to take place in a few days.

While local media was lately speculating on different names, Sharif had not given any hint about his possible successor before the court’s decision.

“If media reports are to be believed, the interim PM will be either Speaker of the National Assembly

Ayaz Sadiq

or minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi,” analyst Fasihur Rehman Khan told TOI.

Electing a new PM is not an issue for Nawaz but the biggest challenge faced by PML-N now is that the entire Sharif family has been indicted. For observers, it is the biggest blow. “PMLN revolves around Nawaz Sharif and only he can keep it intact.

If he is taken out, it seems the party will crumble as had happened in 1993 and 1999,” said Anam Iqra, another analyst. “But it doesn’t mean Imran Khan, who has successfully ousted Sharif, will immediately improve his electoral chances,” she added.