Shehbaz Sharif
Shehbaz Sharif likely to become Pakistan's next Prime Minister after Imran Khan's removal
Islamabad/IBNS: Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan, is likely to take over as the Prime Minister of the country after Imran Khan lost in the no-confidence vote with 174 members voting against him in the 342-member National Assembly.
Shehbaz Sharif is the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the 70-year-old who is leading the opposition's attempt to topple the government led by Imran Khan.
According to analysts, Shehbaz, unlike Nawaz Sharif, enjoys amicable relations with Pakistan's military, which traditionally controls foreign and defence policy in the nation.
His administrative skills were put on focus as chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province when he worked closely with China on Beijing-funded projects.
Shehbaz was imprisoned following a military coup in Pakistan in 1999 and exiled to Saudi Arabia. He returned to the country in 2007.
Shehbaz entered the national scene when he became the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party after Nawaz Sharif was found guilty in 2017.
Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) was voted out of power by the Opposition, a combination of socialist, liberal, and radically religious parties. A total of 174 members voted in support of the no-trust vote whereas only 172 votes were needed to oust the government.
Imran Khan, 69, was not present in the lower house at the time of voting, acting against his own statement that he will "play till the last ball". His party legislators staged a walkout.
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