He was elected by the Pakistani parliament after the expulsion of former cricket star Khan from the prime minister in a vote of no confidence that had threatened to provoke a constitutional crisis. For weeks, Sharif led a campaign to oust Khan, amid allegations of mismanagement and financial mismanagement. Sharif’s rise has plunged him into political turmoil, and critics say he now faces the daunting task of reviving a corrupt economy and maintaining important ties with key countries in the wake of widespread pro-Khan protests. “It was a historic (few weeks), with our new and fragile democracy being tested at its edge,” said Hassan Kamal Wattoo, a lawyer and columnist based in the capital, Islamabad. “All we can hope for is at the end of this constitutional crisis, our democracy has been shaken but upright.”
Who is Sehbaz Sharif?
A descendant of the Steel Dynasty, Sehbaz Sharif is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, a former three-time Prime Minister of Pakistan. The family’s fortune comes largely from the Ittefaq Group steel company co-founded by their industrial father, Muhammad Sharif. Sehbaz Sharif first came to power as prime minister of Pakistan’s politically important and populous Punjab province in 1997, and has been praised by many in the province for his good governance. But his tenure was unexpectedly cut short in 1999, when former General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup against his older brother, in part due to the breakdown of relations between the government and the powerful army. Sehbaz Sharif was briefly imprisoned in Pakistan before being deported to Saudi Arabia with his family. He returned to Pakistan in 2007 and was re-elected Punjab Prime Minister the following year. His tenure proved popular with many in Punjab for their ambitious infrastructure and advances in education and industry. But Sharif’s family became embroiled in a scandal in 2018 when his older brother was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $ 10.5 million for corruption. Nawaz Sharif has denied the allegations, but has been barred from holding political office by Pakistan’s highest court. Sehbaz Sharif has taken over from the elder brother of the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) party, but faces unresolved allegations of corruption, which he denies. For much of Khan’s term, Sharif led a campaign to oust him as prime minister. In recent months, it has escalated, with Sharif and the opposition accusing Khan of financial mismanagement and urging him to step down. In a dramatic series of events, the vice-president of the parliament blocked the no-confidence vote against Khan, who then dissolved the parliament and called for early elections. The opposition challenged Khan’s moves in Pakistan’s Supreme Court, with Sharif calling them “nothing less than a betrayal.” The court ruled last week that blocking the no-confidence vote against Khan was unconstitutional, paving the way for a repeat vote and for Sharif to become prime minister.
Restoring a damaged economy
Sharif now inherits a troubled economy, with inflation in double digits. The cost of basic necessities, such as food and fuel, skyrockets and government foreign exchange reserves are rapidly depleted.
A Gallup Pakistan poll released in January found that 64% of respondents felt that inflation was the biggest problem for the country.
Meleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Britain and the United Nations, said reviving the economy would be “the biggest challenge and top priority” for Sharif.
“There is pressure on the rupee to fall rapidly against the dollar and business confidence has fallen,” he said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed in 2019 to provide Pakistan with a $ 6 billion bailout program, but since then the program has seen setbacks.
Lodi said the resumption of the IMF program should be Sharif’s “main focus”.
“Pakistan urgently needs funds,” he said.
Shortly after being sworn in, Sharif vowed to repair the economy.
“The economic challenges are huge and we need to find a way out of these problems. We need to shed sweat and blood to revitalize the economy,” he said.
How will Sharif’s term affect Pakistan’s foreign policy?
Khan ushered in a new era of foreign policy that saw Pakistan distance itself from the United States and move closer to China and Russia. The only sign of Islamist populism and anti-American rhetoric has polarized the nation, with Khan blaming the United States for the situation in neighboring Afghanistan and more recently accusing Washington of conspiring with the Pakistani opposition to oust him from power. Analysts say Sharif is now facing the difficult task of reforming relations with the United States without playing with Khan’s narrative – which seems to resonate with many of the former prime minister’s voters. “Pakistan needs to work very closely with the Americans, there is no question. However, internally, they need to manage the vision,” said Happymon Jacob, founder of the Strategic Defense Research Council based in India. “Pakistan has no choice but to work very closely with the Americans, for the simple reason that Afghanistan needs to stabilize.” Unlike Khan, Sharif has not severed ties with Washington, Jacobs said, adding that Pakistan “is likely to see an improvement in relations” with the United States. As his older brother did, Sharif is also expected to maintain friendly relations with Pakistan’s largest neighbor in South Asia, India. In a speech to parliament Monday, Sharif stressed the need to “resolve the crisis” in the disputed region of Kashmir, which has led the two nuclear-armed states to war three times. According to Jacob, his arrival “is good for India-Pakistan relations.” “He has a close relationship with the leadership in India … and he is in favor of peace with India,” he said, adding that unlike Khan, Sharif also maintained ties with India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata, paving the way for a “peaceful” year. Another key relationship Sharif is expected to maintain is with China. As Punjab’s chief minister, he has been instrumental in driving the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project, and maintains a positive relationship with Beijing. “The relationship with China is very important for Pakistan from an economic point of view,” Jacob said. “The new government is not going to slow down this commitment and it will only increase over time.”
How will Sharif deal with Khan?
Sharif faces a tough challenge to quell hostilities between his coalition government and Pakistan’s rival Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. PTI lawmakers all resigned en masse in protest on Monday, ahead of the prime ministerial vote. “For better or worse, Khan is likely to be a thorn in the side of the government for a long time to come,” said Wattoo, the lawyer. Khan is expected to challenge Sharif in next year’s general election and is likely to advance his allegations of “foreign conspiracy” against him. Since the overthrow of Khan, tens of thousands of his supporters have taken to the streets in key cities across Pakistan to protest, chanting anti-US and anti-Pakistani slogans. Khan’s supporters accuse the military of seemingly withdrawing its support in recent months. Unlike Khan, Sharif has maintained a friendly relationship with the generals – something analysts say could be good for him. However, according to Wattoo, Sharif could face a difficult road ahead. “The (conspiracy) label will be difficult for (Sharif) to shake off,” Watu said. “Allegations of corruption (against Sharif) will continue and ordinary Pakistanis will inevitably get tired of treating the prime minister’s office as a family heirloom between brothers.”
