Politics

Pakistan: Shehbaz Sharif Sworn in as Prime Minister

Published MAR 4 2024

Story

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The Facts

Shehbaz Sharif officially became Pakistan's prime minister for a second time at a swearing-in ceremony in Islamabad on Monday, nearly a month after national elections that delivered a hung parliament.
Reuters
He previously led the government from April 2022 to Aug. 2023, following the removal of the currently jailed leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan.
guardian
The 72-year-old president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) defeated PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council's Omar Ayub, 201-92, in a vote within the 336-member National Assembly on Sunday.
Al Jazeera
This comes as several parties, including the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), agreed to form a coalition last month amid allegations of election rigging, and protests from Khan-affiliated lawmakers.
The Wall Street Journal
Khan has formally requested that the International Monetary Fund ties lending to Pakistan with an independent audit of the February result in order to uphold its commitment to free and fair elections. In June 2023, Pakistan agreed a US$3B standby loan agreement with the fund.
Voice of America
Additionally, dozens of members of the US Congress have called on Pres. Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to halt recognition of the new Pakistani government until a credible investigation into claims of vote fraud is concluded.
Intercept

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

There's no valid evidence that rigging or controversy marred this polling process. However, the West has sought to outrageously meddle in Pakistan's internal affairs, voicing unfounded concerns over the vote while baselessly demanding probes into alleged irregularities. Pakistan's sovereignty, its rule of law, and the results of its election must be internationally respected.

DAWN.COM

Establishment-critical narrative

These elections were flawed from the beginning and, with authorities carrying out blatant lawfare against Khan and his PTI, this outcome was widely anticipated. What's surprising, however, is that the US has failed to take stronger action to ensure that its treaty ally has a free and fair vote, despite Biden arguing that promoting democracy overseas is the defining challenge of our time. Perhaps democratic values aren't that important to the White House after all.

Time