Who will be the new PM of Pakistan?

ISLAMABAD: The race for the Prime Minister’s (PM) seat is heating up, with Shehbaz Sharif from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Omar Ayub Khan from PTI-SIC vying for the position.

This Sunday, newly elected MNAs will participate in the voting process, aiming to secure the coveted role for a five-year term.

In this electoral battle, a candidate must amass a minimum of 169 votes out of the 336-member parliament to clinch victory.

As per the election schedule provided by the National Assembly secretariat for the election of the new PM of Pakistan, the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the Prime Minister’s office is until 2:00 pm today (Saturday).

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Following this, scrutiny of the nomination papers will commence at 3:00 pm on the same day.

Nomination papers are accessible from the legislation branch of the National Assembly, allowing interested candidates to formally enter the race.

This process sets the stage for a closely watched election as the nation eagerly awaits the outcome that will shape the leadership of the country for the next five years.

SHEHBAZ SHARIF

Given the numbers, Shehbaz, 72, is widely expected to be elected prime minister.

He earned his reputation as an efficient administrator during his three stints as the chief minister of Punjab, the country’s most populous province whose leadership is often considered a stepping stone to federal power.

Shehbaz came out of his elder brother Nawaz’s shadow in 2018 after the three-time PM was convicted of corruption days before the 2018 polls won by Khan’s PTI. Shehbaz took the PMLN’s leadership in parliament and became the leader of the opposition.

OMAR AYUB KHAN

Omar Ayub Khan belongs to a political family and has served as a federal minister under different governments.

Omar’s grandfather Ayub Khan was Pakistan’s first military dictator who ruled the country with an iron first for over a decade from 1958 to 1969. His father Gohar Ayub Khan, who also served in the army, joined the PMLN upon retirement and became the speaker of the National Assembly in 1990.

Omar himself was a member of the PMLN before joining the PTI in 2018.