Ousted PM wants brother as successor
Shehbaz Sharif has spent four years as chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN— With his term as Pakistan’s prime minister cut short, and with his governing party facing critical national elections in less than a year, Nawaz Sharif announced publicly Saturday that he was choosing his younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, to be his long-term replacement as prime minister and as the party’s standard-bearer.
On one level, it was a clear choice. Over the past four years, as chief minister of Punjab province, Pakistan’s most crucial political power base, Shehbaz Sharif, 65, has presided over a high-profile campaign of infrastructure improvements and social development programs.
“After losing out on the legal front, Nawaz Sharif cannot afford to also compromise on the integrity of his party,” said Rana Jawad, the news director of Pakistan’s most popular news channel, Geo News. “Shehbaz is an obvious choice to keep both the party united and carry brand Sharif forward.”
Where his older brother has been criticized in recent years for a lowenergy style in power, Shehbaz Sharif has nurtured a nearly opposite reputation.
He has become known for surprise inspection “raids” of hospitals or schools, even in Punjab’s smaller towns, and his aides describe him as a workaholic with a taste for 7 a.m. staff meetings. Even his socks are vibrant — he will wear colourfully striped socks even when formally dressed.
Though he is seen as popular, Shehbaz Sharif has also been dogged by accusations of police brutality under his watch as Punjab’s chief minister.