ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif became the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan by securing 201 votes on Sunday, 24 days after the ‘controversial general elections’ in the country.
The magic number to clinch the office of prime minister was 169 votes.
After the vote count, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq announced that Shehbaz obtained 201 votes while his opponent, PTI’s Omar Ayub, got 92 votes.
Since no single party could gain a majority in the assembly, Shehbaz has become premier with the support of PML-N’s allies – PPPP, MQM-P, PML-Q, BAP, and others.
The new government is faced with mammoth economic challenges. High inflation, unemployment, the ongoing IMF programme and possible engagement for a fresh IMF loan to improve the balance of payments situation, debt restructuring, framing a new resource-sharing formula between the Centre and provinces, National Finance Commission (NFC) and privatisation of loss-making state-owned entities await the new coalition government. Running a coalition government itself would be a challenge for the new prime minister.
Soon after the speaker declared Shehbaz as the new prime minister of the country, PTI-SIC lawmakers encircled the newly-elected PM’s chair and started chanting slogans. The assembly was abuzz with slogans of ‘Sher’ and ‘Chor’. Amid the sloganeering, PM Shehbaz began his maiden speech. Surprising as it may seem, Shehbaz delivered the speech while standing beside his elder brother and three-time former PM, Nawaz Sharif, who was elected as MNA but opted out of the race for the prime minister just days after the general elections.
In his maiden speech as the 24th prime minister, Shehbaz thanked the PML-N’s allies and his brother, three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, for trusting him to lead the country.
PTI-backed lawmakers chanted slogans of ‘chor‘ as Shehbaz spoke as the newly elected Leader of the House.
“When my quaid was elected the prime minister thrice, the development that followed in the country is an example of its own. And it is not wrong to say that Nawaz Sharif is the one who built Pakistan,” said the newly-elected premier.
Paying tribute to his allies and the PPP, he said the nation will always remember the sacrifices of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Shebaz, hinting at PTI, said his elder brother has never even thought of harming the country and regretted how the PML-N was treated during the tenure of the PTI government. “They put the entire opposition behind bars, they didn’t care about women or children and used language that cannot be said out loud.”
The new prime minister also vowed to steer Pakistan out of its current crisis. “If we come together and decide to change the fate of Pakistan. God willing, we will defeat these challenges and take Pakistan to its rightful position.”
He added that the job was difficult but not insurmountable.
The newly-elected premier said Pakistan is facing an alarming debt crisis, and vowed to make Pakistan “self-sufficient”. “But if we decide to do a deep surgery and bring changes in the system, basic reforms, and I do not doubt that Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and others will agree that we can either get rid of a life of debt or we move forward in shame.”
“We will rise and we will make Pakistan self-sufficient,” said Shehbaz.
He maintained that the people of Pakistan were suffering the burden of sky-high electricity and gas prices and said “electricity and tax thefts are a matter of life and death for Pakistan”.
“It is difficult and a long and thorny journey full of hurdles, but countries that surmounted these challenges became one of the most prosperous nations around the world.”
He added that he would bring a technological model to reduce tax theft, which he maintained, would “reduce inflation, increase employment, the country will grow”.
Shehbaz also promised subsidies for farmers and said a package on solar tube-wells will be announced soon. He promised that the “seed mafia” would be eliminated soon and Pakistan would import seeds from the best countries in the world to provide them to farmers.
He added that the federal government would work with all provinces in the agriculture sector.
Shehbaz also said efficient public transport and state-of-the-art hospitals and medical facilities will be provided to the people.
Referring to justice, he said the government would work on introducing a system through which the people will get swift justice and those women and children who are currently incarcerated and whose sentences are less than two years, will be freed.
The PML-N president reiterated that perpetrators of the May 9 riots will not be forgiven, vowing action against all those who were involved in the riots.
Shehbaz also promised to end terrorism in the country and address its root causes. He said the aim of his government is to take the National Action Plan (NAP) forward.
Referring to the economy, Shehbaz said that the incoming government would bring investment in to the country and creat economic conditions to spur growth, emphasising that “one window” export zones will be established in all provinces.
Earlier, the National Assembly session to elect the new prime minister commenced amid ruckus as PTI-backed SIC and PML-N lawmakers chanted slogans against each other. The NA speaker commenced the proceedings to elect the 24th prime minister amid noisy protests from the opposition.
PTI-backed lawmakers carrying posters of incarcerated party founder Imran Khan chanted slogans of ‘mandate thieves’ against PML-N.
Shehbaz had the support of 209 members out of the 336 members of the House, while the SIC candidate Omar Ayub has the support of around 90 lawmakers.
Ayub had also sought support from BAP and JUI-F, However, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman later announced that his party would not participate in the elections.
The candidate securing 169 votes in the House of 336 will be declared as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.
PML-N, PPPP win NA speaker slots
Earlier on March 1, The PML-N and PPPP clinched the two top positions in the NA as PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq and PPPP’s Ghulam Mustafa Shah were elected speaker and deputy speaker, respectively, on NA’s second day of the inaugural session.
Sadiq and Shah defeated the SIC’s Amir Dogar and Junaid Akbar with a comfortable margin as Sadiq bagged 199 votes while Shah secured 197 votes during speaker and deputy speaker’s elections.
Dogar got 91 while Akbar secured 92 votes during the polls.
SIC members kept resorting to calling opponents “chor” (thief) — a reference to corruption allegations that have been chasing Sharifs and others over the years — while the PMLN-led alliance kept responding with Ghari Chor — watch thief — a reference to the Toshakhana case where Imran has been accused to selling a watch gifted by Saudi royals.
Following the election of the speaker, outgoing Speaker NA Raja Pervez Ashraf administered the oath to Sadiq. Subsequently, Sadiq presided over the deputy speaker’s elections and administered the oath to Shah after he secured an easy victory.
