New Pakistan PM consults ousted boss on Cabinet picks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi began his first full day in office yesterday by meeting his ousted former boss Nawaz Sharif, a signal the ex-premier would continue to wield influence after the Supreme Court disqualified him.

Domestic television broadcast images of Abbasi's motorcade arriving in the northern resort town of Muree, where Sharif is staying with his family after the Supreme Court last week disqualified him over failure to disclose a source of income.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party holds a solid parliamentary majority and moved quickly to project an air of continuity after the change of prime minister.

A new federal cabinet was due to be sworn in later yesterday, with media reporting that Abbasi would make the decision in consultation with Sharif and retain most of the former prime minister's loyalists.

Sharif's brother Shahbaz, tipped to become the next prime minister in a few months when he becomes eligible, was also present at the meeting, footage released by the prime minister's office showed.

Abbasi talked to Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif at government accommodation in Muree, pictures and video sent to media groups showed. Abbasi himself served as petroleum minister in Sharif's previous cabinet, which stepped down after he was removed. — Reuters