Islamabad:

Shehbaz Sharif, returning as Pakistan’s prime minister for a second time on Sunday when his brother declined a fourth time period, has performed an important function holding collectively a disparate coalition for 16 months after rival Imran Khan was ousted.

Sharif, 72, gained a parliamentary vote for premier, resuming the function he had held till August when parliament was dissolved forward of final month’s elections. Pakistan has had a caretaker authorities since then.

He was named by his occasion and coalition allies to move the South Asian nation, regardless of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif successful a seat within the meeting and being favorite to be sworn in once more.

Nawaz Sharif didn’t wish to run a minority coalition authorities, having had clear majorities in his three earlier stints as prime minister, his daughter Maryam mentioned in a submit on X.

The brothers’ Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) occasion gained solely 80 of the 264 seats up for contest within the elections however was supported by different events for a majority.

Along with holding the coalition collectively after Khan was voted out in 2022, Shehbaz Sharif helped Pakistan safe a last-gasp Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) bailout final yr.

He regained the highest job because the PML-N buried variations with the highly effective navy within the face of their widespread rival, Khan, who was at odds with prime generals over coverage variations.

On the time, Nawaz Sharif was in self-imposed exile in London and disqualified from holding public workplace. He returned to Pakistan in October.

Earlier than his stint as prime minister, the youthful Sharif was identified extra as an administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice within the nation’s largest province, Punjab.

However as prime minister, he rapidly took on the function of peacemaker between coalition events usually at odds with each other over key insurance policies.

Shehbaz Sharif’s largest achievement in his brief tenure was clinching the IMF bailout with Pakistan on the point of a debt default. The deal was signed after Sharif personally referred to as on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva in June.

Nevertheless, beneath his authorities, inflation touched a excessive of 38% with document depreciation of the rupee forex – primarily as a consequence of structural reforms necessitated by the IMF programme to stabilise the financial system.

He blames the financial meltdown on Khan’s authorities, which he says broke an settlement with IMF simply earlier than he was ousted. Sharif mentioned his authorities needed to introduce a slew of reforms and scrap subsidies, inflicting inflation to surge.

KEY CHALLENGES

Pakistan continues to be enmeshed in financial disaster with inflation remaining excessive, hovering round 30%, and financial progress slowing to round 2%. February inflation dipped barely to 23.1% from a yr earlier, partially as a consequence of a excessive base impact.

Sharif might want to emulate his feat of securing a short-term IMF bailout with the present programme expiring subsequent month and a brand new prolonged deal wanted to maintain Pakistan on a slender path to restoration.

However his predominant function shall be to take care of ties with the navy, which has straight or not directly dominated Pakistan since independence. Not like his elder brother, who has had a rocky relationship with the navy in all his three phrases, the youthful Sharif is taken into account extra acceptable and compliant by the generals, analysts say.

For a number of years, the navy has denied it interferes in politics. However it has prior to now straight intervened to topple civilian governments 3 times, and no prime minister has completed a full five-year time period since independence in 1947.

Privatising some lumbering state giants, together with the nationwide airline, and securing international funding may even be key to ease the financial disaster. The Sharis have shut ties with rulers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which might assist in securing investments in a number of initiatives Pakistan has these days showcased on the market.

Though defence and key international coverage choices are largely influenced by the navy, Sharif should juggle relations with the U.S. and China, each main allies. He’s additionally confronted with coping with fraying ties with three of Pakistan’s 4 neighbours, India, Iran and Afghanistan.

‘WORKAHOLIC’

Sharif was born within the japanese metropolis of Lahore in a rich Kashmiri-origin household that was within the metal enterprise. He began his political profession because the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 with a signature “can-do” administrative fashion.

His cupboard members and bureaucrats who’ve labored carefully with him name him a workaholic.

As chief minister, the youthful Sharif deliberate and executed quite a lot of formidable infrastructure mega-projects, together with Pakistan’s first fashionable mass transport system in Lahore.

He was caught up within the nationwide political upheaval when his brother was ousted from the premiership by a navy coup in 1999 and he went into exile in Saudi Arabia.

Sharif entered the nationwide political scene when he grew to become the chief of the PML-N after the elder Sharif was discovered responsible in 2017 on expenses of concealing belongings associated to the Panama Papers revelations.

Married twice, Shehbaz Sharif has two sons and two daughters from his first marriage however none from the second. One of many sons is in politics however the others should not in public life.

His second spouse is Tehmina Durrani, the well-known writer of “My Feudal Lord”, an autobiography about an abusive married life with an earlier husband.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)