Pakistan elections 2024: 'Nawaz Sharif will become prime minister if…', says Shehbaz Sharif
Shehbaz Sharif said his elder brother Nawaz Sharif would become prime minister if the party wins a majority in Pakistan's parliamentary elections.
Pakistan Elections 2024: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed that his elder brother Nawaz Sharif would become the country's next prime minister if his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), wins a majority in the upcoming general elections.
Speaking to Geo News, the PML-N chief said his elder brother Nawaz would become prime minister if the party gets a majority in the parliamentary polls. However, in the event of a split mandate, that decision would depend on the talks between the PML-N and its coalition partners.
“Nawaz Sharif will become prime minister if we get a simple majority. But in case of a split mandate, the decision will be taken after discussions with coalition partners,” Shehbaz told Geo News, according to news agency PTI.
'Nawaz Sharif is my leader, Prime Minister'
Asked whether he would prefer to become prime minister rather than put the burden of the top position on his brother, who may not be able to fulfill his responsibilities properly due to his old age and health problems, Shehbaz stressed that Nawaz Sharif “is my leader and my prime minister”.
“My answer to this question is the same as I have given to dictators on several occasions: that Nawaz Sharif is my leader and prime minister,” he said.
Shehbaz has revealed in several interviews that the powerful establishment on several occasions offered him to become prime minister in place of his brother, but he always rejected the offer.
The apparent reason for the offer could be that Shehbaz always had good ties with the establishment.
Shehbaz headed the coalition government of more than a dozen parties that was installed after Imran Khan was voted out of office in April 2022. He kept the coalition intact and governed with ease for sixteen months, until the parliamentary term ended in August.
PML-N will emerge as the largest party: report
Meanwhile, a media report on Wednesday predicted that the PML-N will emerge as the largest party, while the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will take a distant second place in the national polls. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is likely to take the third spot, followed by other parties, a pre-poll assessment accessed by The News showed.
According to The News, the official assessment report was compiled based on information gathered from police sources, tax authorities, trade unions and interviews with professionals in various fields.
The assessment was conducted at the police station and union council levels, the lowest administrative units in Pakistan.
The report predicts that the PML-N is likely to win between 115 and 132 seats in the National Assembly. Taken together, the reserved seats for women and minorities would mean the party has a chance of forming a government on its own with a simple majority if the official assessment proves correct.
As far as the provincial assembly seats are concerned, it is estimated at about 190, out of 297, which means an absolute majority in the Punjab Assembly.
The party could win all but a few districts in Punjab and likely form the government with a two-thirds majority in the largest province, an official said.
(With PTI inputs)