Pakistan parliament elects Shahbaz Sharif as PM

Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected Shahbaz Sharif as prime minister following a week-long constitutional crisis that reached a climax on Sunday when Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote.

Sharif has a reputation domestically as an effective administrator more than as a politician. He is the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Analysts say Shehbaz, unlike Nawaz, enjoys amicable relations with Pakistan’s military, which traditionally controls foreign and defence policy.

After Monday’s vote, Sharif vowed to tackle an economic malaise that has seen the rupee hit an all-time low and the central bank implement the biggest hike in interest rates in decades last week, Reuters reported.

“If we have to save the sinking boat, what we all need is hard work, and unity, unity and unity,” he told parliament.

“We are beginning a new era of development today.”

Monday also saw resignation of more than 100 lawmakers loyal to Khan.

If the resignations are accepted by the parliament speaker, Pakistan would face the prospect of more than 100 by-elections within two months, a major distraction for Sharif, 70, and his coalition partners and a potential platform for Khan, 69, to mobilise his support.