ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday congratulated Shehbaz Sharif after he was sworn-in as 23rd prime minister of Pakistan, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
The National Assembly, lower house of Pakistan parliament, elected Sharif as the leader of the house by 201 votes, defeating jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-backed candidate, Omar Ayub.
Sharif, 72, took oath of his office for a second term at a ceremony held at the President House in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
“His Highness Crown Prince congratulates Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on the occasion of his swearing in as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the SPA said on X.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and brotherly relations. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top destination for remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Earlier, felicitations also poured in from China, Turkiye and Iran on Sharif’s election as the prime minister on Sunday.
Sharif, who previously served as prime minister after Khan was ousted from office 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.
He 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) after the current IMF program expires this month.
Sharif will have to juggle relations with the US and China, both major allies, while dealing with deteriorating ties with neighbors India, Iran and Afghanistan. Pakistan is also facing a troubling rise in militancy, which Sharif’s government will have to immediately tackle.