Page 3 - Nawaz Sharif

Shehbaz set to return as Pak's PM after old-guard parties form coalition

Sharif was prime minister until parliament was dissolved in August in the leadup to elections, and he handed power to a caretaker government

Pakistan dismisses US directions on probing alleged election rigging

Pakistan has dismissed the US suggestion to probe discrepancies in the February 8 general elections, asserting that it will not succumb to external dictates. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in her weekly press address on Friday categorically said that "no country could give directions" to Pakistan, an independent and sovereign nation. We believe in our own sovereign right to make decisions about Pakistan's internal affairs, Dawn News quoted Baloch as saying in reply to the comments made by her US counterpart regarding allegations of misconduct in the controversy-marred general elections. Earlier this week, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said any claims of interference or fraud should be fully and transparently investigated per Pakistan's laws and procedures. On another occasion, Miller said: Concerning investigations into reported irregularities, we want to see those investigations proceed [and] wrapped up as soon as possible.

Race for new Pakistan finance minister heats up ahead of IMF negotiations

Former four-time finance minister Ishaq Dar remains the top contender, according to two sources in his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party

Pakistan to elect president on March 9, Asif Ali Zardari likely to win

Pakistan's election commission on Friday announced that the polling for the presidential election will take place on March 9, with former president Asif Ali Zardari almost certain to bag the top constitutional post again after nearly 11 years. In a notice, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the presidential election would be held on March 9 at the National Assembly and all the provincial assemblies from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Geo News reported. According to the schedule issued by the top electoral body, candidates for the office can submit nomination papers by Saturday before noon with the presiding officers in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. The scrutiny of the papers by the returning officers will be done on March 4, the ECP said, adding that the candidature can be withdrawn the next day. The commission will publish the list of validly nominated candidates on the same day, and March 6 has been fixed as the date for retirement, the report said. Former preside

Three time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif takes oath as lawmaker

Three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday took oath as an ordinary lawmaker in the 16th session of Pakistan's National Assembly, days after giving up his bid to lead the country for a record fourth time. A quirk of fate following the poor show in the electoral battle led Nawaz, 74, the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party to abandon his claim to the prime minister's position to his younger brother Shehbaz, 72. Sharif is back in Parliament after seven long years. His terms as the prime minister include the first from 1990-1993, then 1997-1999, and the last from 2013-2017, none of them for a complete five years. Amid sloganeering, Nawaz Sharif took oath along with his brother Shehbaz. Historic visuals from the 16th National Assembly oath-taking ceremony! the PML-N X handle posted along with a hashtag #MeraQuaidPhirSeAya and a 1:18 minute video. The video showed the smiling elder Sharif entering the Parliament, then walking towards the many member

Pakistan's new govt will prioritise 'fixing' economy: Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said the priority of the upcoming government led by his party will be to "fix" the ailing economy as all the problems plaguing the cash-strapped nation were linked to the economic woes. The government will try to fix the economy which would in turn fix everything, Sharif, the supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) told the media after arriving at the Parliament House for the first time since the February 8 elections. Sharif, who surprisingly nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif to be the prime minister of a coalition government, also said that he wishes every National Assembly, Senate and Prime Minister to complete their constitutional term. No prime minister in coup-prone Pakistan has completed his/her five-year term. Sharif became prime minister thrice but was removed on all three occasions in mid-term. Earlier, he was welcomed by prime minister candidate Shehbaz Sharif and other members of his

Talks to form cabinet in Pak's Punjab province under CM Maryam Nawaz begins

Consultations for the formation of a Cabinet in Pakistan's Punjab province under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz have started within the ruling PML-N with her father and party supremo Nawaz Sharif holding talks with allied parties. In the first phase, a 20-member Cabinet is likely to be formed this week, according to a media report on Wednesday. The PML-N leadership also held talks with its allied parties PPP, PML-Q and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), which are also expected to get ministries in the cabinet in the second phase. Maryam, 50, is the first woman chief minister of a province in Pakistan's history. The meeting was chaired by three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who surprisingly nominated his younger brother to be the prime minister when a coalition federal government was formed. Senior PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Rashid and Marriyum Aurangzeb are expected to be accommodated in the provincial cabinet. Sanaullah and Rashid are expected to be inducted as

Pak govt announces Section 144 as assembly set to convene inaugural session

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam have announced plans to stage a protest

New Pak govt likely by March 2; presidential election before Mar 9: Report

With a power-sharing deal already inked, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party are moving ahead with plans to form a coalition government by March 2 and hold the presidential election before March 9, according to a media report on Friday. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be backed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has agreed to form a new government after the February 8 elections resulted in a hung Parliament. Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, 72, is set to return to the top post after his elder brother Nawaz, decided to nominate the PML-N president for premiership. The party has clarified that the three-time former prime minister did not want to lead a government in which the PMN-L does not have a majority in Parliament. Both parties won fewer seats than candidates backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Quoting sources, The News .

Pakistan's old-guard parties to form coalition to thwart Imran Khan

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party will join a coalition with the Sharif clan's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Bhutto Zardari said at a joint news conference in the capital Islamabad

Bilawal Bhutto rejects power-sharing formula for the post of Pakistan PM

Bhutto revealed that the PML-N suggested a time-sharing formula, proposing that they lead the government for three years, with the PPP taking over for the remaining two years

PML-N boosts efforts to woo independents in Punjab for coalition govt

According to unofficial election results, the PML-N has 79 seats in the National Assembly and 137 in Punjab Assembly, respectively

Prohibitory orders in Islamabad as Imran Khan's party begins protests

Authorities on Saturday imposed prohibitory orders here in Pakistan's capital as jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party began nationwide protests against alleged rigging and stealing of its mandate in the recent elections. Criticising the outcome of the polls, which saw the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party-backed independent candidates emerging as the largest group by winning over 90 National Assembly seats, the PTI announced holding countrywide "peaceful protests" against what it termed "record-high rigging". The protests began with a march in Wana in South Waziristan of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament. "The PTI has called for country-wide protests against the unprecedented, massive, brazen rigging in general elections 2024, where PTI's win of 180 National Assembly seats and a two-thirds majority in the parliament, was cut down to half," the party said in a statement. "The 2024 elections would be remembered in t

Imran's PTI to sit in Oppn in Pak Parl; to protest against poll rigging

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament while launching a countrywide protest against alleged rigging in the elections after its efforts to form the next government failed. The major political parties in Pakistan have stepped up efforts to form a federal government after the February 8 elections delivered a split verdict.

PML-N, PPP to hold meeting today, to finalise govt formation in centre

The meeting was postponed as the PML-N's committee has yet to consult on the matter with the party's senior leadership

Pak polls: PML-N leaders hold consultations with allies over Balochistan CM

According to Dawn, the former CM expressed contentment with PML-N's performance in the February 8 elections, highlighting the party's victory in 10 provincial and five national seats in the province

PML-N, PPP set to discuss power-sharing deal for coalition govt: Report

A second round of talks between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party is expected to take place on Friday on the power-sharing formula between them for the formation of a coalition government, according to a media report. The Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led PPP has promised to back PML-N in the formation of a government as well as the election of the next prime minister, on the condition that Nawaz Sharif's party will support them in elections to key constitutional offices like that of the President. A scheduled second round of talks between the Contact and Coordination Committees (CCCs) of the PPP and PML-N could not take place on Thursday, as both sides sought more time to assess proposals that came up in their first meeting. The next meeting between the two sides is likely to take place on Friday for clarity on the power-sharing formula, the Dawn newspaper reported. However, given the tough competition between individuals, nominating people to fill those ...

Imran's PTI announces nationwide protests on Feb 17 against poll 'rigging'

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced "peaceful" protests across the nation on February 17 against the alleged rigging in the general elections conducted on February 8

Pakistan elections: Re-polling underway at many booths over rigging charges

Pakistan elections: Fresh polls are being conducted at many stations in PK-90 Kohat-I, NA-88 (Khushab II) and PS-18 (Ghotki I) constituencies over allegations of poll rigging during the Feb 8 polls

PTI suffers blow as 3 independent assembly members join opponents in Punjab

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has suffered a blow as three independent members elected to Punjab's provincial assembly backed by it have joined a rival party in the politically important province. On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) managed to take eight more independent Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA)-elect and one Member of the National Assembly (MNA)-elect, who are not backed by the PTI, on board, raising its tally in National Assembly to 80 seats and in Punjab Assembly to over 150. In Punjab, former three-time prime minister Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has been nominated by the PML-N for the slot of chief minister. The three PTI-backed members Punjab Assembly joined hands with Aleem Khan's Istehkham-i-Pakistan Party (IPP). After the resignation of IPP patron-in-chief Jahangir Khan Tareen, Aleem is looking after the affairs of the party that was carved out of Khan's PTI in the wake of th