Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister and former national cricket captain, attempted every trick in the book to stay in power, but he was defeated in a no-confidence vote in parliament soon after midnight on April 10, ending his almost four-year tenure.
Unless anything unexpected happens, Pakistan’s next prime minister will almost certainly be a political dynasty of the type that Imran once promised would be driven out of the country’s politics. The largest opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is led by Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Imran’s predecessor, Nawaz Sharif. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of another previous prime minister and leader of Pakistan’s second-largest opposition party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has stated that he wants Shehbaz to be the next prime minister, at least for the time being.
Shehbaz Sharif does not have the same charm as his brother Nawaz, nor is he as charismatic as his niece Maryam. His strength comes from his reputation as a capable administrator.
Shehbaz, like his brother, was born into money and chose politics over his family company. He was the son of a wealthy manufacturer and attended Government College Lahore before joining the Ittefaq Group, which traded in steel and iron. Shehbaz was elected to the country’s general assembly in 1990, when Nawaz won his first election as prime minister. In 1997, he became the chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and influential province, during his brother’s second stint as prime minister.
However, when Nawaz attempted to replace the Army Chief of Staff two years later, both brothers were overthrown in a military coup. Until 2007, the family was imprisoned and subsequently exiled to Saudi Arabia. Both finally returned to their previous positions after returning home. Shehbaz’s administration spent a lot of money on infrastructure when he was Punjab’s chief minister. And when Nawaz was ousted from government for the second time in 2017, this time on corruption charges, he seemed the clear choice to succeed him — until he lost the 2018 elections to Imran. He has been the head of the opposition and the president of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party since then.
Shehbaz was known as the “can-do administrator” because of his tight collaboration with China on Beijing-funded initiatives. In contrast to Khan’s previous hostile relationship with Washington, he also emphasised in an interview this week that strong connections with the US were vital for Pakistan, for better or worse. Shehbaz planned and implemented a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects during his three years as Punjab’s chief minister, including Pakistan’s first modern mass transportation system in his hometown of Lahore.
Last year, the outgoing Chinese consul general wrote to him, applauding his “Punjab Speed” implementation of projects under the massive China-Pakistan Economic Corridor plan, according to local media. In addition, the ambassador stated that whether in administration or opposition, he and his party will remain friends with China.
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