ISLAMABAD – PML-N president and season politician Shehbaz Sharif becomes Pakistan’s 24th prime minister as voting in National Assembly concluded in the session that began with members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) creating a ruckus.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced that Sharif secured 201 votes while Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) opponent Omar Ayub Khan got 92 votes.
The National Assembly (NA) is set to convene today at 11 am for the significant task of electing the next prime minister.
Shehbaz Sharif, President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the joint candidate of an eight-party alliance, stands as a strong contender for the prime ministerial post for the second time. He is up against Omar Ayub Khan, the nominee of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Both candidates have submitted their nomination papers to the National Assembly Secretariat, and Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has deemed them valid following scrutiny, which took place in the presence of representatives from both parties.
An objection raised by Omar Ayub against Shehbaz Sharif, alleging manipulation in the acquisition of his NA seat through Form-47, was dismissed by the Speaker. Ayub argued that Sharif’s loss of the constituency as indicated in Form-45 disqualified him from contesting the PM election. However, this objection was rejected.
Shehbaz Sharif enjoys support not only from the PML-N but also from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Islami Pakhtunkhwa Party (IPP), and the National Party (NP), amounting to a total of 205 members. Two MNAs-elect from the MQM-P and PPP have yet to be sworn in. Shehbaz needs 169 votes from the 336-member house to secure the position of the leader of the house.
