Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – Pakistan’s parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif as its prime minister Monday. This was in response to the political crisis which has prompted street protests and a large resignation of legislators.

Sharif’s victory brings an end to the week-long constitutional battle that came to its climax Sunday, when Khan lost a confidence vote. But, the nuclear-armed nation will likely continue to face political and economic turmoil.

Sharif is 70 years old and has earned a national reputation as an administrator who excels at politics more than as a politician. He is also the younger brother to Nawaz Sharif, three-time prime Minister.

Analysts claim that Shehbaz has amicable relationships with Pakistan’s military. This is unlike Nawaz who controls the foreign and defense policies in Pakistan, which numbers 220 million.

Sharif pledged to address an economic crisis that saw the rupee plunge all-time high and central bank implement its largest interest rate hikes in over a decade.

In his maiden speech before parliament, he stated that “if we want to save the sinking ship, we need to work hard and be united, unity, unity, and unison.”

We are entering a new age of development.

Moments prior to the vote, Khan’s party lawmakers resigned from the lower chamber of parliament in protest against the likely formation of an administration by his political foes.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi (ex-foreign minister, vice president, Khan’s party), said to the assembly, “We are announcing that we are all resignations.” New by-elections are required in more than 100 of the seats affected by mass resignations.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), had submitted papers recommending Qureshi for the role of prime minister.

RESET TIES

Sharif, the younger, emerged as the leader for a united opposition in order to overthrow Khan. Khan is a former cricket player who claims that Khan was influenced by the United States, which Washington denies.

In an interview, Sharif stated that Pakistan had good relations with America. This contrasts starkly to Khan’s uneasy ties with Washington.

He also talked about improving relations between China and India in his maiden speech.

“We desire good relations with India, but a lasting peace can’t happen without Kashmir’s solution,” he stated. He was referring to the disputated Himalayan territory that the countries have been fighting several wars over.

According to him, his government would accelerate the construction of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), worth $60 billion. It is a component of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

MILITARY FALLOUT

Since 1947 when the nation gained independence from Great Britain, no elected prime minister served a complete term. However, Khan was the first person to lose his position in the country through a vote of no confidence.

Nearly half of the country’s nearly 75-year history has been governed by military forces. Khan and his conservatism were viewed favourably in the 2018 elections.

However, this support was eroded following a fallout regarding the nomination of the military intelligence chief. Economic troubles last week also led to the highest interest rate increase in many decades.

Khan continued to be determined despite being defeated in parliament.

Protests by thousands of supporters were held in multiple cities until Monday morning.

Nawaz Sharif was inexplicably barred from public office by the Supreme Court of 2017 and then went overseas for treatment. He had served only a short time in prison for corruption charges.

Khan said Monday that there was no greater insult than Shehbaz Sharif’s defeat in a vote of no confidence.