By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday endorsed his brother Shehbaz Sharif as the best choice to lead the country amid multiple challenges, a day before the new parliament is due to be sworn in following a disputed election.
The endorsement came as Pakistan faces a political deadlock after a disputed election this month that gave no clear majority to any party. The vote was also marred by violence and allegations of rigging by the opposition.
Sharif, who was ousted from power in 2017 by the Supreme Court on corruption charges, praised his brother for his performance as prime minister from 2022 to 2023, when he took over after former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted in a parliamentary vote.
He said his brother had saved Pakistan from an economic collapse and had shown courage in the face of adversity.
“The way he went through the past one-and-a-half years, it is his bravery,” Sharif told a meeting of his party’s newly elected members of parliament in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. “If I was in his place, I may not have been able to do that. Under these circumstances, Shehbaz Sharif is the best choice [for prime minister].”
Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or PML-N, won the most seats in the Feb. 8 election, securing 75 out of 272 in the lower house of parliament. But it fell short of a majority and has formed an alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to claim the right to form the next government.
The alliance has nominated Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the president of the PML-N, as its candidate for prime minister.
The political uncertainty comes as Pakistan grapples with a range of crises, including a fragile economy, a tense relationship with neighboring India and Afghanistan, and a strained alliance with the United States.
Pakistan’s economyn is facing a severe crunch after securing a $3 billion standby arrangement from the International Monetary Fund last year. The country has seen record inflation, a devalued currency and dwindling foreign reserves.
Analysts say the new government will likely need more funds from the IMF after the arrangement expires in April.
Sharif warned his party’s lawmakers that the next two years would be difficult and urged them to remain united and compete with their opponents.
“Your next one-and-a-half to two years will be a bit difficult, I feel,” he said. “During this difficulty, we have to remain like this [gestures for unity] like one, and have to compete with our opponents.”
Sharif said Pakistan “is very injured at this time and we will have to fill its wounds”.
“We will have to take the country out of these difficulties and I believe that we will have to make difficult decisions in the next two years […] but if your intention is pure then God will surely help you.” “We have to give ease to the public, we have to fix the prices of electricity and gas, we have to make Pakistan stand on its feet and if you move forward with a well-thought agenda then this journey will become easy.”
The new parliament is scheduled to convene on Thursday for its inaugural session, where the lawmakers will take oath and elect the speaker and the deputy speaker. The election for the prime minister is expected to take place next week.
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