Islamabad: Shehbaz Sharif was elected as Pakistan’s 23rd Prime Minister on Monday.
Shehbaz, the brother of three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, was elected unopposed by the united Opposition in the National Assembly.
Outgoing PM Imran Khan and his fellow members of Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) boycotted the PM election.
Imran vowed not to sit in the National Assembly with ‘thieves’, accusing Shehbaz of being involved with massive corruption.
“If a person, against whom there are corruption cases of Rs 16 crore and Rs 8 crore, is elected or selected Prime Minister, there can’t be anything worse. We will not sit in this Assembly under any circumstance. I will not sit in the assembly with these thieves,” Imran said after the meeting of PTI’s parliamentary party.
“We have decided all our members will resign from the National Assembly.”
Shehbaz, who was Leader of Opposition in parliament from August 2018 till dissolution of assembly on April 10, was rewarded for uniting the Opposition against Imran.
A leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N), the 70-year-old Shehbaz had played second fiddle to elder brother Nawaz. Now, the tables have turned.
The 72-year-old Nawaz is currently in the UK for treatment, having been disqualified from holding public office by Supreme Court in 2018. He was also sentenced to 10 years in prison by an accountability court.
