ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif, who was elected by Pakistani parliament as the new prime minister on Monday, took oath of his office hours later, ending a tumultuous week that saw cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan ousted from power.
Before Sharif’s election, lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party resigned en masse and walked out of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
Voting then commenced, with Sharif as the only contender for the post. He was supported by 174 lawmakers in a House of 342 members.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani administered oath to the prime minister-elect at the President House in Islamabad, hours after President Arif Alvi went on a leave.
“I, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, take oath that.... I shall favor and remain loyal to Pakistan that being the prime minister of Pakistan, I shall fulfill my duties with honesty and with the best of my abilities in accordance with the constitution and law of Pakistan,” Sharif said at the ceremony.
“I will strive to maintain the Islamic ideology that is the foundation of the formation of Pakistan. I shall not let my personal interest influence my official duty and decisions. I shall uphold the constitution of the Islamic republic of Pakistan and protect and defend it.... may ALLAH help and guide me.”
Khan’s PTI party had 155 lawmakers in the 342-member National Assembly before the mass resignations.
The cricket star-turned-politician on Sunday became the first prime minister to be ousted through a no-confidence vote in Pakistan’s history.
Khan has alleged the US was behind his ouster, citing a threatening diplomatic cable dispatched by then Pakistan ambassador to Washington, based on his interaction with a top American official. The US has denied the allegation.
“It’s a victory of righteousness, and evil has been defeated,” Sharif, the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said in his maiden speech as the premier.
He stressed the need to strengthen Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with the US on the basis of equality, along with the European Union (EU), Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries to boost the South Asian nation’s exports.
Terming the so-called “threatening” letter a “lie, fraud and drama” by the deposed prime minister, Sharif promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. “Even if an iota of evidence of a foreign conspiracy is found, I’ll immediately resign,” he vowed.
The prime minister said the matter would be placed before an in-camera meeting of the national security committee of parliament, where the military leadership, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general, foreign secretary and the ambassador who sent the letter would be present.
“This debate should be laid to rest,” he said. “I will make arrangements for the in-camera session at the earliest.”
About diplomatic relations with Washington, he said Pakistan had “historic” relations with the US, with some ups and downs at times.
“But does it mean we should deteriorate our relationship,” he asked. “Today’s diplomacy is dependent on your economic strength. We should take care of this.”
PM Sharif also thanked Saudi Arabia for helping Pakistan through difficult times, recalling the kingdom’s support after Islamabad was slapped with sanctions for conducting nuclear tests in 1998.
“We won’t forget Saudi Arabia’s generous financial support in our lifetime,” he said, while thanking the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for standing by Pakistan in all times.
Speaking of the economy, he said the country’s economic situation was “very serious” and urged all allied parties to stay united and work diligently to steer the country out of the “financial mess.”
He announced an increase in minimum wage to Rs25,000 (around $135) and a 10 percent raise in pensions from April 1, besides ensuring availability of low-cost flour during Ramadan and addressing high prices of electricity.
“The situation is very bad but, God willing, it will change if we work hard,” Sharif added.