Pakistan Ruling Party Chooses Shehbaz Sharif to Replace Brother as PM

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League party has decided to appoint the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the new prime minister.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled to remove Nawaz Sharif from office following a nearly year-long corruption investigation into his family. Soon after the ruling, the former head of the country's government accepted the verdict and resigned.

According to the Geo TV broadcaster, following his decision to step down, Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting with PML-N leadership.

Following the party meeting, Shehbaz Sharif emerged as most likely candidate for prime minister. After a 45-day period, during which Pakistan will be headed by an interim prime minister, Sharif will assume office.

In April 2016, Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper published materials it claimed came from the Mossack Fonseca company, exposing the alleged involvement of a number of world leaders, like the former Pakistani prime minister, in tax haven schemes. In April 2017, a commission comprising five judges from the nation's Supreme Court decided to establish a special commission to investigate the case more thoroughly.