Pakistan prime minister: Shehbaz Sharif chosen to succeed Imran Khan


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Pakistan elected Shehbaz Sharif to be the country’s 23rd prime minister on Monday, a day after incumbent Imran Khan was ousted by a vote of no confidence brought by opposition parties.

Mr Sharif received 174 votes from the house’s 342 MPs after days of political drama that saw Mr Khan, the former cricketer-turned-politician, removed just after midnight on Sunday.

In his maiden speech as prime minister, Mr Sharif called for unity to tackle Pakistan's economic crisis.

"If we have to save the sinking boat, what we all need is hard work, and unity, unity and unity. We are beginning a new era of development today," he said.

Ahead of Monday’s vote, members of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had resigned in protest and demanded a national election.

"We boycott this election according to the decision of our party, and we are resigning," said Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Mr Qureshi had been the PTI candidate to be the new leader and his name remained on the ballot, but after the boycott, he received no votes.

The PTI action followed a night of large protests across the country where tens of thousands of Mr Khan's supporters marched on Sunday evening in cities across the country, with big gatherings in Karachi and Lahore.

The PTI party has pledged to keep up pressure on any new administration with additional marches in the coming days.

Mr Khan insists he is the victim of an American-led conspiracy because of his determination to pursue friendly ties with China and Russia. Washington says the accusations are baseless.

On Sunday night, Mr Khan, 69, said he was the victim of “US-backed regime change” abetted by local traitors “to bring into power a coterie of pliable crooks”.

Mr Sharif is widely expected to win the parliamentary vote on Monday afternoon, when he runs against Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Mr Khan's former foreign minister.

Mr Sharif, 70, the younger brother of Mr Khan's predecessor, Nawaz Sharif, had three spells as chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab province and has acquired a reputation for being a shrewd and pragmatic administrator.

He is also one of the dynastic political elite that Mr Khan vowed to drive from Pakistan's politics and he is currently on bail as part of a money-laundering investigation. He denies wrongdoing and says the investigation is politically motivated.

He ousted Mr Khan with a broad coalition of opposition parties that range from centre-leftists to the religious right. It is unclear how long he will be able to maintain unity among such a diverse group.

Pakistan's prime minister-elect Shehbaz Sharif, speaks after winning a parliamentary vote to elect a new prime minister, at the national assembly in Islamabad. Reuters
Pakistan's prime minister-elect Shehbaz Sharif, speaks after winning a parliamentary vote to elect a new prime minister, at the national assembly in Islamabad. Reuters

Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia programme at Washington's Wilson Centre, a think tank, said: “These mass mobilisations of Imran Khan supporters will be fuelled by a narrative around the new government being a bunch of traitors and US-backed provocateurs that ousted Mr Khan.

“Pakistan’s political environment in the weeks ahead will be partisanship and polarisation on steroids.”

Mr Khan's swift fall from power came after his government was blamed for bungling an already weak economy and falling out with the country's military, who wield formidable political clout.

Mr Sharif will inherit an economy with high inflation, a sliding rupee and a balance of payments crisis.

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Brief scores

Day 1

Toss England, chose to bat

England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46

Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad

Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.

UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

Results

2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili

3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer

4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar

4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly

'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat

UAE FIXTURES

Friday February 18: v Ireland

Saturday February 19: v Germany

Monday February 21: v Philippines

Tuesday February 22: semi-finals

Thursday February 24: final 

How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

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Top Hundred overseas picks

London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith 

Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah 

Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott

Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz

Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw

Trent Rockets: Colin Munro

Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson

Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock

Updated: April 18, 2022, 11:50 AM