Islamabad. : March 3,2024 : Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) president , Shahbaz Sharif , was elected as prime minister of Pakistan for the second time on Sunday. He had seized the role as prime minister of Pakistan in August last year when the general elections for February 8 were called in Pakistan.
Shahbaz Sharif had become the prime minister of Pakistan for the first time in April last year when Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) founding chief , Imran Khan , was ousted from the power through a no confidence vote. He got 201 votes of the national assembly members . He was a joint candidate for the slot of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz ( PMLN) , Pakistan People Party (PPP) , Pakistan Muslim League (Q) , Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) , Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) .
His opponent , a joint candidate of PTI and Sunni Ittehad Counsel (SIC) for the prime minister office , Omar Ayub Khan, got 92 votes .On Friday , the ruling alliance candidate , Sardar Ayaz Sadiq , had bagged 199 votes and won the contest for speaker of the national assembly. He became the speaker of the national assembly for the third time. His opponent of Sunni Ittehad Counsel (SIC), Amir Dogar , got 91 votes . Later , PPP ‘s Ghulam Mustafa Shah won the race for deputy speaker . He got 197 votes and SIC’s candidate Junaid Akbar got 92 votes. Pakistan ‘s February 8 elections are marred with rigging and delayed announcement of the results.
Despite having serious reservations regarding February 8 elections , PTI of Imran Khan has become a part of Pakistan ‘s democratic system and its members have taken part in the elections of the prime minister , speaker and deputy speaker of the national assembly but at the sanr time its protesting on the streets against ” Stolen mandate” . A day before , PTI had protested across Pakistan against rigging in the last general elections and demanded to return its stolen mandate .
PTI is convinced that it had won 225 seats of the national assembly in February 8 elections, but its win was changed into defeat through steeling of its mandate. It seems that PTI is following a policy of fighting on both fronts –in and out – of the parliament till it returns to the power in Pakistan again.
Speaker national assembly , Sardar Ayaz Sadiq , informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about the election of prime minister , Shahbaz Sharif , through a letter. Meanwhile , the national assembly secretariat also notified the winning of Shahbaz Sharif as prime minister .