Islamabad: On Tuesday, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was elected the 18th prime minister of Pakistan, reported Pakistani media. The ruling party stalwart Abbasi was expected to become interim leader to replace the ousted premier Nawaz Sharif.
The Supreme Court on Friday disqualified 67-year-old Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing him to resign.
The National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, has been summoned by President Mamnon Hussain to elect the new leader of the house. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has nominated Abbasi as interim Prime Minister until Sharif's brother Shehbaz is eligible. Pakistan has seen such arrangements in the past too.