Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday lost the midnight no-confidence vote, paving the way for Shehbaz Sharif to become the new head of the State. 174 Members of the National Assembly voted in favour of the no-confidence vote even though the opposition parties needed just 172 votes to pass the resolution.
Speaking immediately after the vote, Shehbaz Sharif said that his government will not indulge in the politics of vendetta. He said, “We thank everyone for their sacrifices, and now, once again, a Pakistan based on Constitution and law is about to come into existence.
He added, “When the time comes, we will speak in detail, but we want to heal the wounds of the nation; we will not send innocent people to jails, and we will not take revenge.”
With the defeat in the no-confidence vote, Imran Khan became the first prime minister of his country’s history to be voted out unceremoniously.
Who is Shehbaz Sharif?
Shehbaz Sharif is the brother of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who’s been forced to live in exile. Nawaz Sharif has served as Pakistan’s PM on three occasions. In his absence, Shehbaz Sharif has been heading the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.
Shehbaz became the leader of the PML-N after his brother was found guilty of charges of concealing assets related to the Panama Papers revelations in 2017.
Sharif’s family members have always maintained that charges against the former prime minister were politically motivated.
Shehbaz Sharif was born in a wealthy family of Pakistan and has often been forced to live in the shadow of his brother Nawaz Sharif. His family owns one of the largest steel companies in Pakistan. He’s currently the owner of the company.
He became the chief minister of Punjab for the first time in 1997. In 2000, he was imprisoned after the military coup by General Pervez Musharraf, who sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia along with his brother Nawaz Sharif.
Shehbaz returned from exile seven years later and started playing an active role in national politics. He took control of his party after Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned.
