NEW DELHI: PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif took office as the 24th
Prime Minister
of
Pakistan
on Monday.
Shehbaz was sworn in by President Arif Alvi at the presidential office in the nation's capital, Islamabad, a day after parliament elected him prime minister despite protests from lawmakers aligned with jailed former premier Imran Khan.
Shehbaz won the election with 201 votes in the PM elections held yesterday.
The ceremony was attended by Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and the chief ministers of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan. Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir also attended the ceremony.
Shehbaz earlier served as prime minister of a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023 before Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections last month.
While Shahbaz Sharif is yet to announce his new cabinet, economists, investors and foreign capitals would be keeping a close watch on the appointment of the new finance minister, who will have to immediately undertake tough talks with the International Monetary fund to get a new multi-billion dollar funding agreement, with the current one expiring in April.
The February 8 election was marred by a mobile internet shutdown, arrests and violence in its build-up and the unusually delayed results triggered accusations that the vote was rigged.
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