Who is Shehbaz Sharif, Newly Elected Prime Minister of Pakistan?

Shehbaz Sharif was elected as Pakistan's new prime minister after Imran Khan, his predecessor, faced a no-confidence vote and was ousted from his post.

On Monday, Pakistan welcomed its new prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, leader of opposition party the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, who took over the post after his predecessor Imran Khan was ousted from office.

According to Sharif, his election was "a victory of democracy". The lawmakers from the Pakistan Movement for Justice - the party led by the ousted ex-PM - boycotted the election and left the National Assembly.

Still, Sharif managed to secure some 174 votes, which amounts to more than a half of the National Assembly. Here is a quick look at the new Pakistani prime minister and what his views are about the main issues his country presently faces.

Relations With India

In his inaugural speech, Sharif vowed that he and his team want to have good relations with India, but the Kashmir issue needs to be resolved for that to be achieved.

"I suggest to PM Modi that we sit down and talk about Kashmir issues resolution under UN resolutions,” the prime minister said.

Sharif vowed that his priority is "national harmony", and his stance on India was said by observers to be not as harsh as that of Imran Khan.

Relations with China

Both Sharif and his brother Nawaz (who served three non-consecutive terms as Pakistan's prime minister) seem to have good relations when it comes to China.

They actively participated in setting up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative, even though some of the projects, such as a new railway, were put on pause during Imran Khan's tenure.

On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the political situation in Pakistan will not affect Beijing's view of the country as a "close neighbour and hard-core friend."

“No matter how the political situation in Pakistan changes, China will unwaveringly adhere to its friendly policy towards Pakistan," said the ministry's spokesman Zhao Lijian.

Pakistani Economy

Sharif succeeds Khan when the Pakistani economy is going through a tough time, as the country is weathering inflation of 13 percent, with a budget and trade deficit threat looming. However, according to the newly elected PM, the blame for this is Khan's.

Among the challenges that Sharif's soon-to-be-formed government will face is the need for the country to build its foreign exchange reserves and deal with the account deficit for the economy.

Corruption Allegations

The newly elected prime minister has faced corruption allegations just as his brother Nawaz had.

The two were accused of money laundering, with the Sharif family blasting the accusations as politically motivated. In light of the corruption claims, the UK froze the family's bank accounts, but the case was dropped after National Crime Agency found no evidence to support allegations against Shehbaz Sharif.

In Pakistan, however, the allegations did not go anywhere, but the latest indictment was deferred in light of the Khan no-confidence vote.