After high drama in Pakistani politics over the past few weeks, Imran Khan was removed as the prime minister following a no-confidence vote in the Pakistan National Assembly on Saturday. A day later opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif of the PML(N) filed his nomination papers. On Monday, Shehbaz, younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was elected the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
While Shehbaz been a three-time chief minister of Punjab, he was largely projected as a 'workaholic' leader. Shehbaz, according to a report in the Dawn, liked to call himself Khadim-i-Aala (chief servant) rather than chief minister.
Who is Shehbaz Sharif - Pakistan's New PM?
In 1999, the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, including Shehbaz, was sent to exile in Saudi Arabia after a military coup led by General Pervez Musharraf. At this time, Shabaz was the chief minister of Punjab, serving his first term. He was the chief minister of the region again between 2008-2013 and 2013-2018.
As an influential businessman, Shehbaz jointly owns the Ittefaq Group of Companies. Shehbaz and his sons, Hamza and Suleman, were booked in November 2020 under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Anti-Money Laundering Act, according to news agency PTI.
Probe detected 28 benami accounts, allegedly of the Shehbaz family, through which an amount to the tune of PKR 14 billion was laundered between 2008 and 2018. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions and the amount was kept in "hidden accounts" and given to Shehbaz in his personal capacity, according to reports.
While his election has seen a mix of reactions in Pakistan, India has been watching its arch rival and neighbour through its political ups and downs. The relation between the two countries has always been seen as important for the stability of the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Shehbaz on his election and said that "India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror."
"Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people (sic)," Modi said in a tweet.
What Has He Said On Kashmir?
Interestingly, soon after taking charge, Shehbaz mentioned Kashmir as he spoke about cordial relations with India. The new Pakistani prime minister said that friendly relations between India and Pakistan cannot be achieved without resolution of the Kashmir issue. "We want good ties with India but durable peace is not possible until the Kashmir dispute is resolved," Shehbaz was quoted as saying by PTI.
Taking dig at his predecessor Khan, Shehbaz said no "serious and diplomatic efforts" were made when India abrogated Article 370 in August 2019.
"When the forceful encroachment was done in August 2019 and Article 370 was abrogated, what serious efforts did we make...what serious diplomacy did we try…," he said. He said the blood of Kashmiris is flowing on the roads and has turned the Valley red.
"Why do we want our coming generations to suffer. Come, let's resolve the Kashmir issue in line with UN resolutions and Kashmiris' expectations, so that we are able to end poverty on both sides of the border," Shehbaz was quoted as saying by PTI.
What Will It Mean For India- Pakistan Ties?
The past few years between India and Pakistan have been tumultuous. Events like surgical strike in 2016, Pulwama attack in 2019 followed by Balakot strikes, abrogation of Article 370 have kept the tension simmering between the two arch rivals. On how the new regime fares for India-Pakistan relations, experts in India have reflected on the situation.
"As Pakistan goes through a major political convulsion, India must resist the temptation to see the changes across our western frontiers through the narrow prism of bilateral relations. Delhi must focus instead on the potential shifts in Pakistan's strategic orientation triggered by the current crisis. An India that gets an accurate sense of Pakistan's changing geopolitics will be able to better deal with Islamabad," C Raja Mohan has written in the Indian Express.
Indian Express also quoted top sources saying that Shehbaz's election 'may offer a diplomatic opening'.
"The Sharif family has always been an advocate of better ties with India. Shehbaz's last India visit was in December 2013, when he met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, visited Metro stations and solid waste management plants in Delhi, and a power plant in Haryana. He also visited Punjab and held meetings with then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, where he worked on a roadmap for cooperation between the two Punjabs," Express wrote.
"Pakistan has a new prime minister — and this could augur well for the South Asian country's return to a healthier economy and its relations with its traditional supporter, the U.S., as well as its rival, India," CNBC wrote, implying that the new regime in Pakistan may be a good thing for India.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide to ex-PM Vajpayee, wrote in The Tribune that Sharif regime in Pakistan may give a chance for India and Pakistan to mend ties. "From India's point of view, two positive developments have taken place in the course of this turmoil. First, Imran Khan, the outgoing prime minister who has alleged a US-led foreign conspiracy to oust his government, has heaped fulsome praise on India for its independent foreign policy. Second — and this is more important — Pakistan's powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has yet again reached out to India with a message of peace, which the Modi government must not reject," he wrote.
