LAHORE: The Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has nominated its president, and former chief minister of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif as its candidate for prime minister. He will challenge Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which emerged as the biggest party after the July 25 general elections.
The decision was made by the central leadership of the party during a meeting on Monday night at its central secretariat in Lahore. It follows the formation of a multi-party opposition “grand alliance” — the Pakistan Alliance for Fair and Free Elections — to field joint candidates for the country’s top political office, along with National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker, against a government alliance led by PTI. The opposition decided that PML-N will field the candidate for prime minister as it is the second-largest party in national assembly, while the third-largest, the Pakistan Peoples Party, will provide the candidate for speaker, and a Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal member will stand for deputy speaker. The parties pledged to support each other and work together in an attempt to prevent PTI gaining control of the offices.
“The CEC of the party has unanimously nominated its president, Mian Shehbaz Sharif, as its candidate for the post of prime minister,” said party spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb. “He will be the joint candidate of the opposition alliance. The PML-N has rejected the election results owing to worst rigging in the history of Pakistan and a white paper containing the irregularities will be issued soon.”
She added that opposition party leaders and workers will stage a protest demonstration in front of the offices of Election Commission of Pakistan on August 8.
The opposition alliance prevously announced that PPP stalwart Syed Khursheed Shah, former leader of the opposition in National Assembly, would be its candidate for speaker. The PPP leadership is busy negotiating with smaller parties in an attempt to secure support for him and the other opposition candidates.
“The PPP is in contact with the parties that have fewer numbers in the parliament to muster their support,” said Ch. Manzoor Ahmed, a central PPP leader. “We are contacting the BNP and other parties from Balochistan and will make all efforts to help opposition candidates win.”
As the biggest party within religio-political alliance MMA, Jamiat Ulema Islam–Fazl is likely to supply the candidate for deputy speaker. Pundits predict that Maulana Asad Mehmud, the son of MMA chief Maulana Fazul Rehman, is likely to get the nomination.
The opposition alliance believes that with two thirds of the members in the Senate, it can effectively block the ruling alliance.
PML-N confirms Shehbaz Sharif as the opposition alliance candidate for prime minister
PML-N confirms Shehbaz Sharif as the opposition alliance candidate for prime minister
- The PML-N president, a former chief minister of Punjab, will take on PTI chairman Imran Khan for the country’s top political office
- The Pakistan People’s Party will supply the candidate for speaker of the National Assembly, and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal the candidate for deputy speaker
Lufthansa adds more flights to Asia, Africa as Middle East war reshapes air travel
- Airlines across Europe have been redirecting capacity after suspending services in the Middle East
- Lufthansa said the move also helps meet demand on long-haul routes that Middle Eastern carriers cannot currently serve
LONDON: Lufthansa said on Friday it was shifting capacity from 10 canceled Middle Eastern destinations to routes such as Singapore and Bangkok as it contends with disruption from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Airlines across Europe, including budget carrier Wizz Air , have been redirecting capacity after suspending services in the Middle East.
Lufthansa said the move also helps meet demand on long-haul routes that Middle Eastern carriers cannot currently serve.
Airline stocks have slumped this week as US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran — and retaliatory strikes by Iran across the Middle East — have disrupted long-haul flights and sent oil prices soaring.
“The war in the Middle East proves once again how exposed air traffic is and how vulnerable it remains,” Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said in a statement. He added the outlook was uncertain, particularly for jet fuel costs.
The schedule changes came as the German group reported better-than-expected 2025 results, saying stricter financial management and fleet renewal had helped contain costs and lift profits. Its shares rose as much as 4 percent, before reversing to trade down 1.2 percent at 1246 GMT.
The company said demand on routes to and from Asia and Africa had risen strongly since the conflict began on Saturday, and it would stick with its focus on expanding long-haul services. Spohr said new flights to Asia would launch in days.
Lufthansa did say how many services it had canceled because of the conflict.
While carriers face costs for rescheduling and rerouting, the biggest impact for those outside the Middle East is expected from surging fuel prices. Brent crude futures have jumped more than 20 percent this week.
Spohr said Lufthansa was well hedged in the short term. The group hedges fuel up to 24 months ahead and was 85 percent hedged as of December 31, according to its annual report.
RESILIENCE
European carriers, including Lufthansa, benefited from slightly lower fuel bills in 2025. Lufthansa’s fuel bill fell 7 percent, helping support earnings as passenger demand stayed firm.
“Last year we were able to significantly increase the Group’s operating profit and achieved the highest revenue in our history. Our results demonstrate the resilience and stability of the Group,” Spohr said.
Lufthansa reported an adjusted operating profit of 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), compared with 1.9 billion euros forecast in a company-compiled analyst poll and up from 1.6 billion euros in 2024. The group also posted an operating margin of 4.9 percent, up from 4.4 percent a year earlier.
Lufthansa aims to lift operating margins to 8 percent-10 percent between 2028 and 2030 from 4.4 percent in 2024, but strikes by workers, including the most recent on February 12, have made it harder to boost profitability.
Bernstein analyst Alex Irving said ongoing weakness in the passenger airline segment persisted, but that strong performances in Cargo and Lufthansa Technik helped lift profits.
The carrier said the outlook for 2026 was unclear due to geopolitical uncertainty. It projected capacity growth of 4 percent, alongside increased revenue and profit margin.
