ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif nominated himself for prime minister on Sunday, after Imran Khan was ousted from office in a no-confidence vote.
The leader of the opposition submitted nomination papers for the new leader of the house by the time set by the National Assembly, while the former ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), nominated ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the office of Prime Minister.
Shehbaz will be endorsed by top PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif and Rana Tanveer.
Meanwhile, Aamir Dogar and Ali Muhammad Khan, both members of the PTI, will serve as endorsers for the party’s vice-chairman.
Prior to filing the paperwork, the PML-N president turned to Twitter to express his gratitude to those who “fought for the Constitution!”
The National Assembly Secretariat has previously established the deadlines for submitting candidacy papers and scrutinising candidates for premier and NA leader.
According to the spokesperson, nomination papers for the election of the premier and NA leader will be submitted and scrutinised according to the periods set in the house.
The deadline for submitting nomination papers for the election of the head of the house is 2 p.m., according to the spokesperson, and the nomination papers will be scrutinised at 3 p.m.
Imran Khan was ousted from office by a vote of no-confidence on April 10, at the stroke of midnight, becoming the first prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be deposed by a parliamentary revolt.
The unified opposition’s no-confidence resolution received 174 votes in the 342-member parliament, shaking the political earth of the country with an unprecedented removal of the prime minister and seemingly putting an end to the protracted turmoil.
The legislature was expected to appoint a new prime minister, with PML-Ayaz N’s Sadiq announcing that nomination papers for the next prime minister could be presented by 2 p.m. on Sunday (today).
He also stated that the House would reconvene at 11 a.m. on April 11 to elect a new premier (Monday).
