Shahid Khaqan will be interim PM

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday nominated Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif as the prime minister after his election as MNA, while Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would be the interim prime minister before electing Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother to the premiership.

The decision was taken at a consultative meeting of the PML-N, which was endorsed by the parliamentary party of the party.

The PML-N Parliamentary Party meeting was held at the Punjab House where former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was also present.

An interim prime minister will be brought in for 45 days to facilitate Shahbaz Sharif’s election as member of the National Assembly from NA-120, Lahore, that has fallen vacant due to the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court.

Nawaz Sharif, who chaired a consultative meeting that continued for four hours after the apex court verdict on Friday, had proposed the name of Shahbaz Sharif for the office that was unanimously approved.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a close ally of Nawaz Sharif, is considered an undisputed leader within the party. He remained the PIA chairman staring from 1997 till the October 12, 1999, coup.

Abbasi for the first time was elected as MNA in 1988 after the death of his father Khaqan Abbasi.

Earlier, it was reported that most PML-N leaders and members of the Sharif family had agreed on former defence minister Khawaja Muhamamd Asif’s name as the interim prime minister.

However, the party sources said his name was not finalised following opposition from Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.