Sehbaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, was set to face former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Quresi, nominated by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. But on Monday afternoon before the vote, all of Khan’s MPs, including Quresi, resigned en masse in protest. Sharif received 174 of the 342 votes in parliament. Sehbaz Sharif’s appointment comes amid widespread pro-Khan protests that erupted across Pakistan late Sunday. Tens of thousands took to the streets in key cities, including Lahore and Peshawar, to support the ousted leader. They chanted slogans against the United States – which Hahn had claimed were plotting against him – and the country’s powerful army, which appeared to be withdrawing its support. In this context of political unrest and a collapsing economy, Sehbaz Sharif is now facing a difficult period as the country’s leader. Unlike Khan, Sehbaz Sharif maintained friendly relations with the army and was the popular prime minister of Pakistan’s politically important and populous Punjab province. He was praised for his ambitious administrative and infrastructure projects in the province, which made progress in the fields of education and industry. Shehbaz Sharif has been instrumental in driving the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of the China Belt and Road Initiative, and maintains a positive relationship with Beijing. A member of the wealthy Sharif dynasty, which has amassed millions by steelmaking, his family has been embroiled in a scandal after his brother Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $ 10.5 million for corruption charges in 2018. Sehbaz Sharif rejected the verdict, calling it “defective” and “politically motivated.” Sehbaz Sharif also faces charges of alleged corruption. In recent months, Sehbaz Sharif has led a campaign to oust Khan’s ouster from Pakistan’s leader over allegations of financial mismanagement and mismanagement. Along with the opposition, he had urged Khan to resign ahead of the impeachment vote, which was widely expected to oust Kahn. Tensions eased for days, with Khan repeatedly rejecting the criticism and instead claiming that the moves against him were an attempt at regime change backed by Washington and some members of the opposition. The allegations were denied by both the US State Department and the Pakistani opposition. In a dramatic series of events, the vice-president of the parliament blocked the no-confidence vote against Khan. Hahn then dissolved parliament and called for early elections. The opposition challenged Khan’s moves in Pakistan’s Supreme Court, with Shehbaz Sharif calling them “nothing less than a betrayal.” The court ruled last week that blocking the impeachment vote against Khan was unconstitutional, paving the way for Sehbaz Sharif to rise to power.
