Shehbaz Sharif likely to succeed Nawaz as Pakistan PM: report

Team Udayavani, Jul 29, 2017, 10:01 AM IST

Islamabad (Pakistan): Pakistan’s Punjab province Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to be made Prime Minister after his brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers scandal, according to a media report.

After a consultative session of the ruling PML-N, Shehbaz has emerged as the most likely candidate to be the next prime minister of Pakistan after an interim premier has served the 45-day period, Geo News reported.

Shehbaz, 65, is currently serving as the chief minister of Punjab. Sharif met with senior party leaders after being disqualified by the Supreme Court verdict following culmination of the Panama Papers case.

After chairing the meeting as president of his party, Nawaz recommended his own brother to be his replacement as the prime minister of Pakistan, the report said.

A name has not been announced for the interim prime minister, who will fill the 45 day vacuum until Shehbaz is elected to a National Assembly seat, it said.

Names of Rana Sanaullah and Hamza Shehbaz are being touted as contenders for the post of Punjab chief minister, the report said.

Nawaz Sharif, who resigned from his post after the top court disqualified him, was quoted by The Express Tribune as saying that he wished to see his brother Shehbaz appointed the next prime minister.

In a meeting with his confidants, Nawaz said though the final decision on who should be appointed the next prime minister would be made in a parliamentary meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he hoped that Shehbaz would be chosen for the post, the report said.