Lawmakers in Pakistan's National Assembly on Sunday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country's new prime minister for the second time, as allies of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan in parliament shouted in protest, alleging rigging in last month's elections.
Khan is currently serving prison terms in multiple cases and has been banned from running for or holding office. Sharif replaced him as prime minister after his ouster in a no-confidence motion in parliament in April 2022.
President Ayaz Sadiq said Sharif got 201 votes, defeating Omar Ayub of the Sunni Ittehad Council, who got 92 votes. The winner only needs 169 votes to obtain a majority.
Ayub had the backing of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, whose candidates were unable to win enough seats to form a government on their own. The PTI refused to hold talks with its rivals to form a coalition.
After days of negotiations, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party and its supporters formed an alliance after the February 8 elections, which were overshadowed by militant violence, a nationwide mobile shutdown, exclusion of Khan of the vote and an unusual delay in announcing the result. .
Authorities said it was necessary to cut communications to prevent attacks on candidates and security forces.
The delay drew criticism from Khan's party, which insists the vote was rigged to prevent him from winning a majority. The party claims it has evidence that his victory “was stolen during the vote count,” an allegation the Electoral Commission denies.
Sharif, in his acceptance speech in parliament on Sunday, said: “We were subjected to political victimization in the past, but we never took revenge.” Without naming Khan, he said the previous ruler imprisoned many political rivals, including himself and his ally Asif Ali Zardari.
He also accused Khan's supporters of attacking military installations while protesting his overthrow in 2022, adding that parliament and the courts would now decide whether those involved in the attack on military installations deserved a pardon.
Some lawmakers, holding portraits of Khan, stood in front of Sharif as he began his speech, shouting “vote thief” and “shame.” Sharif denounced his actions and said they were causing chaos in parliament. He also said they should present their evidence of voter fraud to the relevant authorities.
Sharif then addressed the opposition saying: “I offer you reconciliation. Let us sit together to work for the betterment of Pakistan.” But he was greeted with more protests and shouts.
The prime minister also spoke of repairing ties with the United States. Relations between the two countries have been strained after Khan accused the United States, Sharif and the Pakistani military of conspiring to keep him out of office following his overthrow.
Sharif also said his biggest challenge was the economic situation as Pakistan has been dependent on foreign loans to run the economy. His government faces multiple issues, including how to respond to a rise in militant attacks, improve relations with neighboring Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, repair crumbling infrastructure and resolve year-round power outages. He must also maintain political stability, as Khan's party has vowed to continue protests against alleged election fraud.
After losing to Sharif, Ayub addressed parliament and praised “my leader” Khan for his “bravery” in facing the cases against him. He denounced the arrest of “thousands of Khan supporters” last year after they took to the streets following his overthrow.
Ayub repeated accusations of voter fraud and demanded an investigation into last month's election. He said PTI votes were manipulated and “stolen” to prevent Khan's party from forming the government.
He said Sharif can rule the country but “cannot win hearts and minds because he came to power through a rigged vote.”
Last week, Khan wrote a letter to the International Monetary Fund, urging it to link any talks with Islamabad to an audit of the February elections. Khan's move, which Sharif criticized in his speech, comes days before the IMF releases a key part of a bailout loan to Pakistan.
Pakistan has been relying on bailouts to shore up its foreign exchange reserves and avoid default, with the IMF and wealthy allies such as China and Saudi Arabia financing the country to the tune of billions of dollars. During his previous term as prime minister, Sharif had to fight for months to secure a $3 billion bailout from the IMF.
The new prime minister has said he will seek a new IMF bailout after the end of March, when the current one expires.
He is scheduled to be sworn in on Monday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the first to congratulate Sharif on his election as Pakistan's prime minister, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
Ahmed writes for the Associated Press.
