Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Becomes New Prime Minister of Pakistan

On Tuesday, August 1, the Pakistani parliament voted with a majority to replace Nawaz Sharif with Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former Minister of Petroleum, who was removed from office by the Supreme Court over allegations of involvement in a financial corruption case. According to the French news agency, moments after Abbasi's election as Prime Minister, he stated in a speech that Nawaz Sharif is the Prime Minister of the people of Pakistan. He said, 'Insha'Allah, one day a real Prime Minister of this country will return to this position.' Supporters of Nawaz Sharif present in the parliament welcomed these remarks with chants and by waving large images of Sharif. Imran Khan, a former athlete who now leads the opposition party against Sharif, was not present at the ceremony. Khan led the opposition forces that ultimately resulted in Sharif's removal. Abbasi, a long-time supporter of Nawaz Sharif, easily secured the majority vote in the parliament, stating, 'Whether it is 45 days or 45 hours, I am the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and I am here to do something, not just to keep the Prime Minister's seat warm.' Abbasi's reference was to the time remaining until the vote for Nawaz Sharif's position in the parliament. Although Khaqan Abbasi, who was nominated for the prime ministership by the Pakistan Muslim League (the ruling party), managed to secure 221 votes, it appears that he is seeking to maintain the prime ministership for Nawaz Sharif's younger brother, Shehbaz, who must first gain entry into the 342-member Pakistani parliament. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources of the Pakistani government and founder of Airblue, Pakistan's most successful private airline, studied at George Washington University in the United States and worked abroad as an electrical engineer before becoming a member of the Pakistani parliament. After the 1999 coup led by Pervez Musharraf, which resulted in Nawaz Sharif's removal during his second term as Prime Minister, Abbasi was sentenced to two years in prison. Shehbaz Sharif, who is expected to soon replace Abbasi, also went to Saudi Arabia after the 1999 coup and remained in exile there until 2007. After returning to Pakistan, he was appointed as the Chief Minister of Punjab province. Marriages, multiple relationships, and rumors regarding Shehbaz's immense wealth and the Sharif family have made him a controversial figure in Pakistan's domestic politics.