Shehbaz likely to take over
Islamabad, July 28: Pakistan’s Punjab province chief minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to be made Prime Minister after his brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers scandal, sources in the PML-N party said on Friday.
Mr Shehbaz, 65, the current chief minister of Punjab, is the natural choice for the top post, sources in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party said. “He is an untiring worker, hard task master, loyal to his brother and also in the good books of the powerful establishment,” a source said.
However, he cannot immediately replace his brother as he is not a member of the National Assembly. In order to become the Prime Minister, he would first have to be elected to Parliament.
Hence, an interim Prime Minister would have to be chosen from among the confidants of Nawaz. The interim premier will resign once Shehbaz is elected to the National Assembly.
This would not be the first time such an arrangement would be worked out. During former military ruler Pervez Musharraf ’s time, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was appointed as interim Prime Minister until Shaukat Aziz, who was nominated by Musharraf, got elected by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q).
Another problem with Shehbaz being promoted to become Prime Minister is that a suitable replacement as Chief Minister of the Punjab province, which is a key for any party to rule Pakistan, needs to be named.
Sources said that there was no frontrunner for the top job in the province. However, Shehbaz’s son Hamza could be among the contenders for the chief minister’s post. Many names are being discussed to become Prime Minister for the interim period.