Shehbaz Sharif becomes Pakistan’s Prime Minister for a second time
Shehbaz Sharif on March 3 became the prime minister of Pakistan for a second time to lead a coalition government after he comfortably won a majority in the newly-elected Parliament.
Shehbaz, 72, who was the consensus candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), received 201 votes in the 336-member house.
Shehbaz’s challenger Omar Ayub Khan of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf secured 92 votes.
Shehbaz will be administered the oath of office tomorrow, on March 4, at the Presidential mansion, Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The session, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, began after over an hour delay amid slogan shouting.
The PTI-backed candidates, who contested as independents after the party lost its election symbol – the cricket bat- just before the February 8 polls, joined the SIC.
Shehbaz earlier served as prime minister of a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023 before Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections.
The elections saw more than 90 independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI winning the maximum number of seats in the National Assembly.
With Press Trust of India inputs and Money Control News
