Explained: Who is Shehbaz Sharif, the man to take over as Prime Minister of Pakistan?

This video is in Hindi and covers the following topics: Explained: Who is Shehbaz Sharif, the man to take over as Prime Minister of Pakistan? Imran Khan के बाद Prime Minister बनने की दौड़ में सबसे आगे Shehbaz Sharif, the leader of the Opposition in Pakistan, is the frontrunner to become the next prime minister of the country on Monday after Imran Khan’s midnight ouster on Saturday. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of another former prime minister and head of the second-largest opposition group, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has confirmed he wants Shehbaz to have the job, for now at least The political turmoil that unfolded weeks ago in Pakistan saw Sharif take charge of the united Opposition. He is the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The beleaguered older Sharif brother had been jailed on corruption charges in 2017 and is in the UK after being released from jail two years later on medical grounds. Shehbaz Sharif has a known penchant for quoting revolutionary poetry and passionate speeches, many of which have started doing the rounds on social media Sharif has served as the chief minister of Punjab for years and is the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N). The 70-year-old led the Opposition to oust Khan, a former cricketer-turned-politician, after his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lost majority in the 342-member Assembly last month The son of a wealthy industrialist, he studied at Government College Lahore and joined the family-owned Ittefaq Group that dealt in steel and iron In 1990, when Nawaz won his first election as prime minister, Shehbaz was elected to the country’s general assembly During his brother’s second term as prime minister in 1997, he became the chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and powerful province. However, two years later, when Nawaz tried to replace the head of the Army, both the brothers were deposed in a military coup The family was imprisoned and then exiled to Saudi Arabia until 2007 After returning home, both eventually returned to their former posts As Punjab’s chief minister, Shehbaz’s administration spent heavily on infrastructure And when Nawaz was removed from office yet again in 2017, this time following corruption allegations, he has served as leader of the Opposition, and president of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party. A tough administrator and known as a workaholic, Sharif was elected to Punjab’s provincial office in 1988 and over the years presided over several key infrastructure projects including the country’s first metro bus service. Sharif has had a habit of visiting to government offices unannounced, which he would inspect clad in a favored safari suit and hat. Shehbaz worked closely with China on Beijing-funded projects Like his brother, he has also been linked to corruption and graft charges and was jailed for six months after nearly two dozen properties belonging to him and his son were seized during the Imran Khan regime The trial of the case is still pending and Sharif is out on bail. Sharif has also courted controversy over his multiple marriages and a property portfolio that includes luxury apartments in London and Dubai.  Shehbaz’s reputation as an able administrator will be truly tested if he becomes the Prime Minister. Pakistan’s economy is in a mess — inflation is at 13 per cent, and with the rupee sliding, a balance of payments crisis looms large. Foreign relations also have to be mended as Imran, without evidence, had said that America was behind the effort to push him out However, his party has always had good relations with Washington in the past and the damage that Imran might have done to the bilateral ties look to be short-lived. The Sharifs have had good relations with India and even the country’s current Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has sounded conciliatory while talking about ties with New Delhi. Shehbaz will also have to deal with the “iron brother” China. The Sharifs were instrumental in setting up the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative to build infrastructure around the world and the brothers appeared to get on well with China’s government. The initiative, however, slowed under Imran as several key bits, such as a new railway, were stalled. Afghanistan, where the reigns of power shifted to the Taliban last year, would be the most challenging part of Shehbaz’s foreign relations.