Nawaz Sharif quits as Prime Minister after Pakistan SC unseats him in Panamagate
Shehbaz to succeed brother, Khawaja will be interim PM
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, younger brother of sacked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is to replace him at the head of the government, the Pakistani media reported on Friday. Nawaz Sharif met senior party leaders after being disqualified by the Supreme Court for “dishonesty” in the Panama Papers trial. The name of Shehbaz Sharif was announced during a high-level meeting of the PML-N, the elder Sharif ’s party. The younger brother is not a member of the National Assembly or Senate, and will have to get elected to the House to be Prime Minister. The party will have to propose a name for interim Prime Minister to fill the 45 day vacuum until Shehbaz Sharif gets elected to Parliament. Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz leader Khawaja Asif will most likely become interim Prime Minister. According to reports, either Hamaz Shehbaz Sharif, the son of Shehbaz, or Rana Sanaullah, Punjab province's Law Minister, will replace Shehbaz Sharif as the Punjab Chief Minister. It was also decided during the meeting that the party will utilise all legal and constitutional options available to counter the apex court's verdict.
In the morning though, several other names were doing their rounds as possible successors. The Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was a strong contender since he is said to have the ear of the ruling Sharif family. Sadiq gained Sharif’s trust after he defeated the PML-N leader’s main rival, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
Another lawmaker’s name was also discussed. He is Ahsan Iqbal, who hails from a political family that has long been associated with Sharif ’s PML-N party.