Shehbaz Sharif Re-Elected As Pakistan’s Prime Minister

PML-N president and seasoned politician Shehbaz Sharif has been elected as Pakistan’s 24th Prime Minister as the voting in the National Assembly concluded amidst some disturbance caused by members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq officially announced that Sharif secured 201 votes, while his opponent from the Sunni Ittehad Council, Omar Ayub Khan, received 92 votes.

The National Assembly convened at 11 am for the significant task of electing the next Prime Minister. Shehbaz Sharif, the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the joint candidate of an eight-party alliance, emerged as a strong contender for the prime ministerial post for the second time. His opponent was Omar Ayub Khan, the nominee of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

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Both candidates had submitted their nomination papers to the National Assembly Secretariat, and Speaker Ayaz Sadiq validated them after scrutiny in the presence of representatives from both parties. An objection raised by Omar Ayub against Shehbaz Sharif, alleging manipulation in the acquisition of his National Assembly seat through Form-47, was dismissed by the Speaker. Ayub argued that Sharif’s loss of the constituency, as indicated in Form-45, should disqualify him from participating in the Prime Ministerial election. However, this objection was rejected.

Shehbaz Sharif secured support not only from the PML-N but also from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Islami Pakhtunkhwa Party (IPP), and the National Party (NP), totaling 205 members. Two MNAs-elect from the MQM-P and PPP were yet to be sworn in. Shehbaz needed 169 votes from the 336-member house to secure the position of the leader of the house.