There is an air of deja vu. Five years after the end of the mandate of his big brother Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif was elected Monday April 11 new Prime Minister of Pakistan. During the vote, even the President of the Assembly made a revealing slip: he mentioned Nawaz’s name, before apologizing and correcting his mistake. Because in Pakistan, politics is a family affair.
→ READ. In Pakistan, the hardest part begins for the new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
The Sharif clan is powerful and has its base in the Punjab region, the most populated in the country. Born in Lahore in 1950, Shehbaz Sharif is one of the heirs of a leading family business in construction. After being elected Member of Parliament for Punjab in 1988, he became chief minister of the region three times. Following General Pervez Musharraf’s coup in 1999, Nawaz Sharif, then Prime Minister, and his brother Shehbaz had to leave the country. After eight years of exile, the latter returned to Pakistan and returned to political life. In 2018, he tried to run for prime minister, but lost to Imran Khan.
Civil servants increased in exchange for overtime
Since then, Shehbaz Sharif has held the role of leader of the opposition as leader of the PML-N party, the Pakistan Muslim League. Even the name of the movement evokes the family dynasty, the “N” referring to Nawaz. Beyond their popularity, they are also known to be involved in corruption cases. Nawaz is in exile in the UK, officially for medical reasons but also to escape a prison sentence. Shehbaz is awaiting trial in a money laundering case.
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Shehbaz Sharif is nevertheless known to be a workaholic. From his inauguration speech, he announced the increase in the minimum wage, the lowering of the price of flour during Ramadan and the consolidation of relations with China, the United States or the United Kingdom.
He also tackled the issue of fuel prices, a major concern for Pakistanis who travel a lot on motorcycles. He increased the salary of civil servants by 10% with counterparts: the working weeks in the government are increased to 6 days and the day will start at 8 a.m. instead of 10.
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But the first test of the newly elected will be the formation of a coalition government. “He was sworn in on Monday and, for the moment, we still do not have the details of his cabinet. It is surprising because we were told from the beginning of the year that there were negotiations between the opposition parties”explains Arifa Noor, a Pakistani journalist.
Rumor has it that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), an ally of the PML-N, wants elections as soon as possible rather than forming a government. With a very weakened economy and inflation at its highest, for which the second opposition party would not want to be held responsible.
Shehbaz Sharif’s other challenge will be to counter the resistance of his ousted predecessor Imran Khan, who continues to denounce his April 10 dismissal as an American plot. “Parties in Pakistan have no bureaucracy, no rules for leadership succession, it’s all about personalities,” explains Arifa Noor.
While the Sharif family has its roots in Punjab, Imran Khan’s personality shines through the middle class. Since his dismissal, thousands of people have gathered in many cities to protest. Khan warned: “I wasn’t dangerous when I was in government, but I’m going to be much more so now. »
Elections are expected to be held by summer 2023, which leaves Pakistan in political instability by then. In the meantime, the Sharif clan continues to follow its destiny. The Prime Minister’s son is already in the running for the post of Chief Minister of Punjab. Like his father twenty-five years ago.