ISLAMABAD: The heads of state of China, Iran and Turkiye on Monday congratulated Shehbaz Sharif for winning the election for the office of Pakistan’s prime minister, vowing to strengthen their bilateral relations with the South Asian country under a new leader.
Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Sunday elected Sharif as prime minister for a second time, putting him back in a role he had stepped down from ahead of general elections on Feb. 8.
Sharif, 72, secured a comfortable win over Omar Ayub of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which features members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, on Sunday. He secured 201 votes from Pakistani legislators while Ayub polled only 92.
“Prime Minister-elect Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif receives a congratulatory telephone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“President Erdogan warmly congratulated Prime Minister-elect on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan and expressed confidence in his ability to steer Pakistan on a path of progress and prosperity.”
The foreign office said Sharif thanked Erdogan for his congratulatory message and underscored the significance of the brotherly ties between the two countries. “The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further advance bilateral cooperation and collaboration in all fields,” the statement added.
Hours after he had won the prime minister’s election on Sunday, the Chinese premier and president both congratulated Sharif.
“President Xi Jinping in his message expressed the confidence that under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan would be able to make new and greater achievements in the cause of national development and progress,” the state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
He stressed China and Pakistan would continue their “traditional” friendship and cooperation in various fields, the state media said.
“Chinese Premier Li Qiang has also sent a congratulatory message to the newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,” Radio Pakistan added.
Separately, Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar congratulated Sharif on his election victory, hoping his administration would usher in prosperity for the South Asian country.
“Congratulations to @CMShehbaz on being elected as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan,” Kakar wrote on social media platform X. “May your tenure bring prosperity, progress, and unity to our beloved nation. Amen.”
Sharif, who served previously as prime minister after ex-PM Imran Khan was ousted from office via a parliamentary vote in April 2022, will have several challenges to deal with. His main role will also be to maintain ties with the military, which has directly or indirectly dominated Pakistan since independence. Unlike his elder brother, who has had a rocky relationship with the military in all his three terms, the younger Sharif is considered more acceptable and compliant by the generals, most independent analysts say.
Sharif also takes over at a time when the new government will need to take tough decisions to steer the country out of financial crisis, including negotiating a new bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The current IMF program expires this month. A new program will mean committing to steps needed to stay on a narrow path to recovery, but which will limit policy options to provide relief to a deeply frustrated population and cater to industries that are looking for government support to spur growth.
Although defense and key foreign policy decisions are largely influenced by the military, Sharif will have to juggle relations with the US and China, both major allies. He is also faced with dealing with fraying ties with three of Pakistan’s four neighbors, India, Iran and Afghanistan. Pakistan is also facing a troubling rise in militancy, which Sharif’s government will have to immediately tackle.
