Ousted Pakistani PM’s brother takes reins
▶ Shahbaz Sharif is seen as a deal-making heir to sibling Nawaz
The brother of ousted Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif took a small step closer to the post yesterday after he was named head of the ruling party, with a general election due this year.
The promotion of Shahbaz Sharif came after the Supreme Court last year toppled his elder brother Nawaz as a result of corruption allegations, then last week banned him from leading his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.
The move by the judiciary sparked fears of political infighting within the party before the election, with Nawaz’s daughter Maryam Sharif gaining increasing influence over the party in recent months.
But the party presented a united front with the election of Shahbaz, while Nawaz was appointed the party’s guide “for life”.
“I propose the name of Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif,” Nawaz Sharif announced to huge applause at a meeting in Lahore.
Maryam later tweeted a message congratulating her uncle.
The younger Sharif, currently the Chief Minister of pow- erful Punjab province, is seen as a political deal-maker, with many crediting him for the string of by-election victories since his brother was removed from the premiership.
Nawaz Sharif first named Shahbaz as his successor shortly after he was removed from office last July.
But he designated the present prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, as interim premier, noting that his sibling must first be elected to the National Assembly before taking the top office.
The younger Sharif faces a rocky road with elections to the Senate or upper house early next month.
In accordance with last week’s court ruling, all of the party’s candidates will have to run as independents because they were selected by Nawaz Sharif.
Despite the court rulings against it, the party will probably remain a force at the polls after whipping its rivals in consecutive by-elections.
The Sharif clan and their supporters have repeatedly denied allegations of corruption, suggesting Nawaz is the victim of a conspiracy driven by Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.