Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday, receiving 174 votes in the 342-strong National Assembly after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which is the largest party in the lower house with 155 seats, boycotted the session and also decided to resign from the assembly.
Born in Lahore in 1950, Shehbaz is the younger brother of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and thrice-elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
He has served three times as Punjab’s chief minister. Shehbaz previously held the post from 1997-1999, before former military ruler Pervez Musharraf exiled the Sharif brothers to Saudi Arabia, and then again from 2008-2013 and then from 2013-2018. Most recently, he was the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly during the PTI’s tenure.