Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as Pakistan's 24th Prime Minister on Monday, taking over the reins of the cash-strapped country for a second time since 2022, amidst staggering economic and security challenges.
President Arif Alvi administered the oath to the 72-year-old Shehbaz in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-i-Sadr, the presidential residence. The oath-taking ceremony comes after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party striking a power-sharing agreement to establish a coalition government.
Shehbaz Sharif's return to the Prime Minister's office follows his previous tenure leading a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023, which ended with Parliament's dissolution ahead of last month's general elections. The swearing-in ceremony, attended by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and other PML-N workers. PPP leader and Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah was also present on the occasion, reported news agency PTI.
Shehbaz To Face Daunting Task To Revitalize The Economy Of The Cash-Strapped Nation
On Sunday, Shehbaz Sharif emerged victorious in the newly-elected Parliament, securing a comfortable majority amidst vocal protests from the Opposition. As the consensus candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Shehbaz garnered 201 votes out of the 336-member Parliament. His opponent, Omar Ayub Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, managed to secure only 92 votes.
In the February 8 polls, which were tainted by accusations of vote rigging, the party led by the Sharifs fell short of securing a clear majority, despite being the largest party with 75 out of the 265 contested seats. As the new leader assumes office, they face the daunting task of making tough decisions to revitalize the economy of the cash-strapped nation and streamline the administration, as per PTI.