Former cricket star is elected prime minister
ISLAMABAD — Pakistani lawmakers on Friday elected former cricket star and longtime politician Imran Khan as the country’s next prime minister, in a step toward the country’s third civilian transfer of power.
In the vote at the National Assembly, Khan secured 176 votes, defeating the opposition’s candidate, Shahbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League party, who got 96 votes.
The populist Tehrik-e-Insaf party won the most seats in the July 25 vote but fell short of securing a majority in the 342seat house.
Khan is to be sworn in as prime minister on Saturday. His mandate lasts five years.
His supporters celebrated across the country when Speaker Asad Qaiser announced result.
In his first speech to lawmakers as premier, Khan dismissed allegations of election fraud and vowed to enforce “ruthless accountability” to combat corruption.
Khan, an Oxford graduate, formed his party in 1996 in the eastern city of Lahore, vowing to forge a corruption-free “new Pakistan” with justice for all without discrimination.
He challenged the parties of Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari over the past two decades but was not able to make a strong showing until 2013, when his became the third-largest party in the lower house of parliament. He was finally able to triumph over his opponents in last month’s vote.
The elder Sharif, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister three times, was disqualified last year by the Supreme Court for concealing assets abroad. Later, an anti-corruption tribunal convicted and sentenced Sharif to 10 years in jail over family’s purchase of luxury apartments in London.
Sharif is the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is serving a 10-year jail term in a corruption case. Addressing lawmakers, the younger Sharif insisted that last month’s elections were manipulated in Khan’s favor.
Sharif and his supporters chanted slogans against Khan during his speech, claiming he was brought to power by the military.
Khan acquired a reputation as somewhat of a playboy during his cricketing years but has embraced conservative Islam since entering politics.
Khan was elected as Pakistan’s new premier a day after the Foreign Ministry confirmed the suspension of a U.S. military training program for Pakistani soldiers. Thursday’s announcement underscores the persistent tensions between the two allies in the war on terror.
The program is the latest to suffer from cuts to U.S. security aid to Pakistan, announced at the beginning of this year. The U.S. accuses Pakistan of harboring militant groups and providing safe havens for insurgents who carry out attacks in neighboring Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies.