Lawmakers in Pakistan have voted Shehbaz Sharif in as the country's new premier. Sharif will govern in a coalition, with the most powerful opposition force the independents loyal to jailed former PM Imran Khan. Pakistan's newly formed government on Sunday elected its new prime minister following general elections on February 8. Shehbaz Sharif, head of Pakistan's Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, was voted in for a second time. "Shehbaz Sharif is declared prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," National Assembly Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said in the chamber after the vote. Sharif secured 201 votes in the 336-member National Assembly and returns to the position he held up until August, when parliament was dissolved and a caretaker government was put in place ahead of the elections. Those figures would roughly equate to support from parties in his coalition plus some of the parliament's unelected permanent members or potentially some political opponents. The session took place amid protests by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose PTI party was not allowed to run in the elections, but whose members secured 93 seats while running as independents. Pakistan's coalition government Sharif's PML-N managed to form a coalition with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and a group of smaller parties, which together gave them enough seats to govern in a parliament with 266 elected members.  The PML-N won 75 seats and the PPP claimed 54.  Sharif is the PML-N's preferred candidate for prime minister, while the PPP will get its preferred choice as president under the coalition accord — Asif Ali Zardari Bhutto. Independent candidates backed by jailed leader Imran Khan won the most seats of any party grouping with 93 of 266 contestable seats, but had to run as independents with the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party excluded from the vote.  However, no party in Pakistan came close to the 134 seats required to set about forming a government by themselves. Supporters of Khan have held protests in major cities across the country and have made allegations of vote rigging in the February elections. They're also calling for Khan's release, who is in jail over corruption and criminal charges.

Over 100 million people were eligible to vote, but the country is still reeling from a deadly bomb blast in Balochistan on the eve of the election. DW has the latest.   More than 128 million voters were registered  Key issues included the economic crisis, security issues and the power of the military The projected front-runner is former Premier Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was barred from running At least 26 people were killed in a bomb blast in Balochistan on the eve of the election   Pakistan counts votes, electoral commission demands results Pakistan's vote count following their national election on Thursday was marred by delays, leading the Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday moring to order returning officers to speed up the release of results. By 3 a.m. local time (2200 GMT, Thursday), more than 10 hours after polls closed, only four provincial assembly results had been announced. The delay has been blamed on "internet problems" after the closure by authorities of internet and phone access during the day. The Interior Ministry said communications outages were "to maintain law and order" after two explosions on Wednesday by the "Islamic State" killed 28 people.  Polls predicted a low turnout from the country's 128 million eligible voters.   

The return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has rekindled some hopes in Pakistan amidst unprecedented political and economic crises that are perceived to be the fallouts of the misgovernance and civil government-military clashes during the Imran Khan regime. “His return and narrative-building would be a key element of the present and future political landscape of Pakistan,” said Aasiya Riaz, a former joint director at the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency. Sharif returned to Pakistan on a flight that was named “Umeed-e-Pakistan,” a phrase translated as Hope of Pakistan. He then held a massive rally at the Minar-e-Pakistan on his home turf Lahore, which was attended by around 150,000 people. An 18-year-old Razi Ullah said “I’m here to welcome my leader. The inflation is very high and poor people are desperate. God has given him a chance to come back and turn things around. He’s done it before,” he said. Those who attended the rally said Sharif was the only one who could tackle the existential crises Pakistan faced. Pakistani citizen Zahra Bilal said “Nawaz Sharif did what he did before and will continue to do it. People were not brought to the historic rally of Pakistan, but they came with the hope that Nawaz Sharif will fix everything, Nawaz Sharif will heal their wounds and bring them peace.” A snap poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan showed 50 percent of Pakistani people called Sharif’s return good for Pakistan while those who said it bad were just 14 percent. As 51 percent claimed Sharif will win the upcoming elections, 70 percent expressed confidence that he will work together with all politicians including his bête noire Imran Khan for the betterment of Pakistan.   Khan had become a prime minister riding on the wave of populism. However, his popularity diminished subsequently. “During Imran Khan’s tenure in office the economy was tanking slowly, and much of that has to do with the fact that he had alienated all the political parties to such an extent that no one would help him deliver on his economic programme,” said Dr Farzana Shaikh, an associate fellow at London-based The Royal Institute of International Affairs. Saad Kaisar, who is a digital media consultant, said he preferred Sharif to Khan. “One kept talking about chaos, the other one talked about peace. Imran Khan believed in chaos and destruction, as he kept giving examples of “default” in Sri Lanka, we saw what he did on 9th May. While Nawaz Sharif gave us hope and believes in “peace”,” He said, Sharif touched upon the pressing issues of inflation, poverty, and unemployment when he gave a nine-point agenda to pull Pakistan from the crises in his latest speech. About 80 percent of Pakistani people who heard Sharif’s speech liked it and the majority of people said he could bring the country out of the economic crisis. Sharif has been convicted in corruption charges but the majority in Pakistan prefers him owing to “a lot of work” he did earlier. Cancer patient Sajida Gillani was among the Pakistanis who felt Sharif can fill the political leadership vacuum. “I have to take painkillers all the time because of the cancer. But today I don’t feel pain, I’m that happy that Nawaz Sharif is coming back. I have not missed a rally, even during treatment,” Gillani said.   Imran Khan’s tenure saw the development of an unprecedented economic crisis in Pakistan even as the political instability grew significantly due to the clashes with the military and heightened activities of the radical Islamists. In one incident, the capital city of Islamabad was put under siege, rendering the Khan government helpless.    Pakistani people are seeing Sharif’s return as a contributing element to political stability.“Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan has the potential to reshape the country’s political landscape. Whether you support him or not, his presence is undeniably a significant factor in the nation’s journey towards stability and prosperity,” said a Pakistani named Shaher Bano. Pakistan’s powerful military too seems inclined toward Nawaz Sharif, felt political experts and analysts. Lahore-based political analyst Hassan Askari said “Since Khan stands knocked out because of his confrontation with the establishment, Sharif has the advantage.” he said.Political commentator Zaigham Khan said the army finds Nawaz Sharif important after its fallout with Imran Khan. “The military desires his leadership to fill the vacuum left by Imran Khan’s detention and to counterbalance Khan’s ongoing appeal,” he said. Source: Islamkhabar.com

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was indicted on Monday in an official secrets acts case, placing another obstacle in his path toward competing in next January's general election. A Pakistani court indicted Khan alongside his party's deputy leader, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said the case would begin on Friday, adding that it would challenge the indictment. "He has been indicted today and the charge was openly read out," Shah Khawar of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said outside Adiala Jail, where Khan is being held. If found guilty, the charge could land Khan with up to 14 years in prison, or even a death sentence. What is the case about? Khan's indictment relates to a classified cable that Pakistan's ambassador in Washington sent to Islamabad early last year. Khan is accused of making the cable public. Khan denies the accusation. He says the cable's contents appeared in the media from other sources. The former prime minister had argued that the cable was proof that the US was conspiring with the Pakistani military to oust him in the 2022 no-confidence vote, over his growing ties with Russia. Both the US and the Pakistani military deny that. Khan's legal woes Khan has been embroiled in a series of legal accusations since the 2022 no-confidence vote forced him out of office. The former cricket star led protests against the government, calling for early elections. He also protested against the military, accusing it of trying to sideline him. Pakistan's military, which has previously ruled the country directly and now wields enormous power over civilian governments, denied the accusation. Khan was sentenced in the summer to three years in prison over graft charges. The sentence was suspended, but he remained in jail due to other accusations, including the official secrets act case. Khan is disqualified from the upcoming general election due to his graft conviction. His legal team, however, is trying to get him released on bail ahead of the January vote. His biggest political rival, three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, returned to Pakistan over the weekend after four years in self-exile. He launched his party's election campaign on Saturday, promising to address inflation.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Saturday lamented how Pakistan's economy is in dire straits with very high inflation, dangerously low foreign exchange reserves and vowed to redirect the country on the path of growth, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported. Nawaz compared how roti, petrol cost way higher today than when he was in power. "Was I ousted for this reason? What is this decision? You are the public, you tell, do you agree with this decision?" He said that if Pakistan was run on his 1990 economic model, "not a single person would have been unemployed, there would be nothing like poverty [...] but today, the condition is so bad that one has to think if they can feed their children or pay electricity bills". The PML-N supremo made the remarks while addressing a massive crowd of supporters at the Minar-e-Pakistan rally in Lahore. Nawaz clarified that these tough economic conditions weren't created during the Shehbaz Sharif-led government but traced back to a long time. The PML-N supremo also waved two copies of electricity bills which he claimed were from his tenure and after he was ousted. "Do you remember how dharnas were held? But we kept doing our work." While addressing his supporters, Nawaz said, "I am meeting you today after several years, but my relationship of love with you is the same. There is no difference in this relationship," he said. "The love I am seeing in your eyes, I am proud of it." He said he never betrayed his supporter nor did he shy from any kind of sacrifice. He recalled how fake cases were framed against him and his party leaders. "But no one abandoned the PML-N flag." "Tell me, who are they who separated Nawaz Sharif from his nation? We are those who built Pakistan. We made Pakistan an atomic power. We brought an end to load-shedding," he said, highlighting how he produced and provided cheap electricity to the people. Responding to the crowd cheering, Nawaz said, "I know you want to hear that I love you too." "Today, trust me, after seeing your love, I have forgotten all my grief and pain. I don't even want to remember. But, there are some wounds that can't ever heal." Nawaz said he had lost his mother and wife "to politics". He recalled how he couldn't pay the final respects to his mother, father or wife despite repeated requests in jail, as per Dawn. The PML-N supremo further recalled the impediments he faced at the time of the atomic bomb launch. "There will be record present in the Foreign Office that Clinton offered me USD 5 billion [...] this happened in 1999 [...] I could have been offered USD 1 billion too, but I was born from the land of Pakistan and it did not give me permission to accept what is against Pakistan's favour." "Tell me, if someone else would have been in my place, you know who, could he have said this in front of the American President? So, do we get punished for this? Are verdicts announced against us for this reason?" he said.

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned to the country on Saturday, after four years of self-imposed exile in London, to restart his political journey ahead of the general elections. Sharif's return comes as the country struggles with high inflation and other deep-seated issues. The economic crisis has intensified since his brother Shehbaz Sharif took power 16 months ago. "This is a time for hope and celebration. His return bodes well for Pakistan's economy and its people," said Khawaja Muhammad Asif, a senior leader of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The thrice-elected prime minister was traveling on a chartered-plane from Dubai along with an entourage of 194 people including party members and journalists, according to party sources. Sharif landed in Islamabad and was set to travel to his stronghold, Lahore, where he is expected to address a rally of supporters. "Tens of thousands of people have already reached Lahore to welcome Sharif," Muhammad Mehdi, a close aide to Sharif, said. More than a million supporters are expected to attend the rally, according to Mehdi. Challenges lying ahead of Nawaz Sharif Sharif was ousted in 2017, during his third stint as the prime minister of Pakistan and in 2018 was sentenced to a  seven-year prison term on multiple charges of corruption. In 2019, he was released on bail due to his health problems and allowed to seek out treatment. Earlier this week, Sharif was granted a protective bail which barred his arrest and hence allowing him to come back from self-exile. While Sharif is returning ahead of the general elections, he is barred from running for office again due to the court rulings against him. His legal team, however, says the Pakistani leader intends to make a court appeal. Party members say that he is vying to gain popularity and become prime minister for a fourth time. For Sharif, the biggest challenge lies in regaining the confidence of the public competing against his fiercely popular political rival, Imran Khan. "Sharif's key challenge is first to establish himself and his party as viable options to replace Imran Khan, who is already popular, and secondly to turn around the economy," said political analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday advised the country's president, Arif Alvi, to dissolve parliament, setting the stage for a general election as the world's fifth-most populous country wrestles with deepening political and economic crises. When is the election likely to be held? Legally, an election should be held within 90 days of parliament's dissolution, but the outgoing government has already warned that polling day is likely to be delayed. Speculation has lingered that there could be a delay to elections as the establishment contends with overlapping security, economic, and political crises. The unlikely coalition between Pakistan's usually bickering dynastic parties, which combined forces to force Khan out of office, has gained little popular support. A delay until well into next year is possible if Pakistan's election commission decides it needs to redraw constituency maps based on the results of a recent census. Parliament's five-year term had, in any case, been due to expire on August 12, with Sharif's announcement merely ending it three days earlier.   Former PM Khan barred from standing The announcement came as an appeal hearing was underway for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who remains behind bars after the Islamabad High Court gave no immediate decision. The 70-year-old has been at the heart of political turmoil since he was ousted as prime minister in a vote of no-confidence last year. While he remains popular among many voters, Khan has been barred from holding any public office for five years and under current circumstances would not be allowed to stand. Khan began a three-year sentence on Saturday on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts that he and his family acquired during his 2018-2022 tenure. He was convicted of concealing assets. The Islamabad High Court said it was seeking a "government response" and would hear from Pakistan's election commission lawyers before making a decision on the appeal. The court adjourned without setting a date for the following hearing.

Pakistan’s Army Chief Syed Asim Munir underlined the need to make the country self-reliant to end the dependency on foreign loans, which the cash-strapped nation recently secured with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Geo News reported.  While addressing the opening ceremony of Khanewal Model Agriculture Farm on Monday, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan said, “Pakistanis are a proud, zealous and talented nation. All Pakistanis must throw out the beggar’s bowl.” Notably, Pakistan is set to receive another loan from China. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently said that Pakistan has received a rollover of an additional USD 600 million loan from its all-weather ally China to help shore up the country’s foreign exchange reserves on the back of an IMF deal. In July, the Pakistan government’s debt swelled to USD 2.44 billion, including USD 2.07 billion in non-guaranteed debt owed to China, as per Geo News. The army chief also said that Allah Almighty has blessed Pakistan with all blessings and no power in the world can stop the country’s progress. General Munir said a state is like a mother and the relationship between the people and the state is of love and respect. He said security and the economy are interlinked and indispensable to each other. COAS also stated that the Pakistan Army is proud to serve its nation, adding that the military drew its strength from the people and vice-versa. Speaking about the model farm, the COAS asserted that the country will witness the agricultural revolution, reported Geo News. He added that model farms will be established across the country in line with modern standards to benefit small farmers and spread the scope of green initiatives.

Hundreds of Pakistanis are believed to have been on the vessel that sank off the coast of Greece earlier this week, but just 12 have been accounted for. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared Monday a national day of mourning to remember the victims of the boat that capsized off the coast of Greece. Between 500 and 700 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan are believed to have boarded the vessel when it capsized and sank. The sinking was one of the worst disasters of its kind this year on the Mediterranean Sea, with some 78 bodies recovered on the water, 104 rescued alive, and hundreds missing or feared dead. "Pakistan will observe June 19 as a day of mourning and the national flag shall fly on half-mast," Sharif said on Sunday, expressing his grief over the tragedy  Pakistan's Embassy in Athens said it had identified 12 of its nationals rescued by the coast guard. Although there was no official information on how many Pakistanis were onboard the vessel, local media reports suggested the number could be in the hundreds. The distressed boat had set off from Libya en route to Italy when it was spotted by the Greek Coast Guard. Questions have arisen about whether the Greek coast guard should have done more, as it was in contact and close to the vessel in its final hours Noraie-Kia, the head of migration policy for Europe at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, told DW that the reason why the ship was headed to Italy was "a result of Greece repeatedly committing illegal border violations and so-called pushbacks."  "What we have been witnessing for years is a policy of border securitization that indeed leads to more deadly shipwrecks," Noraie-Kia added.  Crackdown on human traffickers In response to the tragedy, the Pakistani government ordered a crackdown on human traffickers, who are believed to be luring people on perilous journeys to Europe via Libya and the Mediterranean. A special committee is expected to set up a legal framework and boost international coordination to prevent such incidents and punish traffickers, the prime minister's office said in a statement. Traffickers are said to make millions each year off young Pakistanis seeking to reach Europe, but hundreds of them either die or end up in prison midway through the journey. Meanwhile, officials said nine people had been detained in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the majority of the victims originated, and one in Gujrat, a city known for its numerous migrant departures. "They are presently under investigation for their involvement in facilitating the entire process," said Chaudhary Shaukat, a local official from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Greek coast guard captain defends himself In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Greek coast guard has been under fire for its role in the incident, accused of not doing enough to save the migrants, after one of its boats spotted the vessel in distress prior to its sinking. One coast guard captain, whose identity was not revealed, defended himself to Greek media. "We approached the vessel to check its condition and that of the passengers and again offered assistance," the Greek captain said, adding that when officials tied a rope to the bow of the ship, those on board shouted "No Help" and "Go Italy," the report stated. "Despite repeated appeals as to whether they needed help, they ignored us and untied the rope at around 11:57 p.m. (2057 GMT). They started the engine and headed west at low speed," the report added. According to conflicting reports, which could not be verified by AP and Reuters, people on board had reached out to activists to seek help, describing a situation of deep distress on the boat. Activists say the migrants made repeated pleas for help more than 15 hours before the vessel sank. International maritime law and coast guard experts have said that conditions on the vessel clearly showed it was at risk, and should have prompted an immediate rescue operation, regardless of what the boat's occupants may have said.

Pakistan has decided to seek U.S. help for the revival of the stalled IMF loan programme, following the delay in the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund, ARY News reported. According to sources within the Finance Ministry, the incumbent government has decided to seek Washington's help as the majority of the demands of the fund have been completed. "There is no need for further delay in the staff-level agreement." As per sources, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will talk with the U.S. envoy this week. It has been learnt that there are chances of a staff-level agreement between Pakistan and the IMF this week. The virtual talks are also scheduled today with the International Monetary Fund. Talks were held between officials from State Bank of Pakistan and IMF on March 9. They discussed the points finalised in the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies. IMF had asked Pakistan to implement its demands before reaching a staff-level agreement for revival of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) stalled for months. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on March 11 said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was out to create hurdles in the revival of the International Monetary Fund's programme which was reached during the previous PTI-led government, Pakistan Today reported. He said that the creation of chaos on roads is part of Imran Khan's agenda which aims at "fanning the fire of instability in the country." "The creation of chaos on roads and anarchy is part and parcel of Imran Niazi's agenda, aimed at fanning the fire of instability in the country," PM Sharif said in a short statement shared by Pakistan PM Office media wing on March 11. "The timid person did not allow the courts to search him as he is guilty," he added. PM Sharif said that the PTI chief did not want the poor people to come out of the problems, including inflation and economic pressure, as per the news report. He said that former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's evasion from courts shows "height of cowardice". PM Sharif said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif faced the worst kind of vengeance at the hands of NAB-Niazi connivance in the past. Mr. Sharif said that the PML-N leadership faced the ordeals of death cells and braved the unfounded cases of heroin, as per the news report. "Imran Khan's evasion from courts amounts to the height of cowardice", the PM observed. "First, he (Imran) left the IMF programme and now is resisting the courts," he said, adding Imran Khan had also deviated from his promises and ideals, according to Pakistan Today report. "We have faced the courts and laws in the trumped-up charges framed against our family members including sons, daughters and sisters," he added. Source: The Hindu