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Who is Shehbaz Sharif — the man who could replace Pakistan PM Imran Khan?
On March 28, Shehbaz tabled the no-confidence resolution against Imran Khan.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said leader of the opposition Shehbaz Sharif will soon become the prime minister of the country as Imran Khan "has now lost majority" in the National Assembly.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the confidence vote which is expected to take place in the next few days, Bhutto thanked Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) for joining hands with the Opposition and deciding to support them to oust Khan as PM in the no-trust vote.
He said the voting should be held on Thursday.
The leader of Khan's main parliamentary ally, the MQM, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced his party was joining the bloc looking to oust Khan following a written agreement between the two sides.
"Imran Khan has now lost his majority. He is no longer the prime minister. The parliament session is tomorrow. Let's hold voting tomorrow and settle this matter. We can then start working on transparent elections and the journey towards restoration of democracy and an end to economic crisis can then begin," the PPP chairman said.
The PPP chairman said Sharif has challenged the Pakistan Prime Minister to resign from office.
Who is Shehbaz Sharif?
Shehbaz Sharif, brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.
The president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has previously served as the chief minister of Punjab thrice, making him the longest-serving CM of the province.
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He was elected to the Punjab provincial assembly in 1988, and to the National Assembly in 1990. He was again elected to the Punjab assembly in 1993 and named leader of the Opposition. He was elected as chief minister for the first time in 1997.
After a military coup deposed the government in 1999, Shehbaz along with his family spent years of self-exile in Saudi Arabia and returned to Pakistan in 2007.
He was appointed the CM of Punjab for a second term after the PML-N's victory in the province in the 2008 general elections.
He was elected as the CM of Punjab for the third time in 2013 and served his term until his party's defeat in the 2018 general elections. He was nominated as the PML-N president after his brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from holding office. He was nominated as the leader of the Opposition after the 2018 elections.
On March 28, Shahbaz tabled the no-confidence resolution against Khan.
Money-laundering case
In December 2019, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seized 23 properties of Shehbaz and his son Hamza Sharif, accusing them of money laundering. In September 2020, the NAB arrested Shahbaz at the Lahore high court and indicted him on charges of money laundering. He was incarcerated pending trial.
In April last year, the Lahore HC released him on bail in the money-laundering case.
(With inputs from agencies)
