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Pakistan elects Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister after removal of Imran Khan
The Arab News reported, Pakistan’s parliament on Monday (Apr 11) elected Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister of the nuclear-armed South Asian country, after a tumultuous week that culminated in the ouster from power of cricket-star-turned-politician Imran Khan.
Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, emerged as the leader of a united opposition to topple Khan over accusations of poor governance and mismanagement of the economy. The national cricket hero, who took office in 2018, was booted out through a no-confidence vote on Sunday.
The contest for the country’s top post was expected to take place between Sharif and former foreign minister of Khan’s Cabinet Shah Mahmood Qureshi, but lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party resigned en masse just ahead of the vote and walked out of the National Assembly.
After the walkout, Shehbaz was the sole contender and opposition lawmakers voted him in.
“Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has secured 174 votes. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi was polled no vote,” PML-N lawmaker and acting parliament speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who presided over the proceedings, announced.
“Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif sahib is declared to have been elected as the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
Mass protests in Pakistan declare support for Imran Khan against 'imported' government
The new Pakistani prime minister, who has a reputation as an effective administrator, is the younger brother of PMLN-N supremo Nawaz Sharif — three-time prime minister who was barred by the Supreme Court in 2017 from holding public office and went abroad on medical bail after serving a few months of a 10-year jail corruption sentence.
PTI’s move to collectively resign from parliament is seen as aimed at mounting pressure on the new government to announce a fresh election. Whether the parliament will accept the resignations will depend on its new speaker, whose post has yet to be filled after the resignation of Khan party’s member Asad Qaiser.
Pakistan could be plunged into a new round of turmoil with the election commission having said it would not be ready to hold general elections until at least October.
Pakistani PM Imran Khan says his life is in danger
Buoyed by hopes for political stability, the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday rose 1,429.52 or 3.2 percent at start of trading.
The Pakistani rupee strengthened to 183.25 against the dollar, the Pakistan Exchange Companies Association said, after closing at a record low of 188 on Thursday.
Source: arabnews
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Amid growing anxiety among several European countries participating in NATO over Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated he looks forward to sitting down with Trump.
Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.
Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.
On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.
It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.
Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.
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