In the first official statement from the Indian government following the elections in the neighboring nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on his election on Tuesday.
Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif, became Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday, over a month after a contentious election that was tainted by allegations of electoral malpractice. A day after parliament elected him prime minister despite protests by MPs backing imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, he was sworn in by President Arif Alvi at the presidential office in Islamabad.
In the National Assembly, candidates supported by imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan secured the most seats (93), within 266 elected, earlier this month. Nevertheless, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), with 75 seats, and the ‘Pakistan Peoples Party’, with 54 seats, decided to create a coalition government.
Shehbaz Sharif’s new cabinet, according to Imran Khan, is not operating under the people’s mandate.
Before the parliament of Pakistan was dissolved in advance of the elections scheduled for February 8, Shehbaz Sharif, 72, served as prime minister of that nation from April 2022 to August 2023.
