Pakistan's New PM: Shahbaz Sharif Sworn in as Prime Minister for Second Term, President Administers Oath

On Monday in Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif took the oath of office as the Prime Minister. The PML-N chairman Shahbaz Sharif has once again taken charge of the country for the second time. President Arif Alvi administered the oath of office to him at Aiwan-e-Sadr (Presidential Palace) during a ceremony.

In the oath-taking ceremony, the heads of all three branches of the military, senior officials, politicians, prominent businessmen, members of civil society, and media organizations participated. Acting Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar was also present at the occasion. The ceremony commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, after which Shahbaz Sharif took the oath of office as the Prime Minister of the country.

*Nawaz and Maryam Present*

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and other workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were present at the oath-taking ceremony. It is noteworthy that Shahbaz Sharif had previously served as the Prime Minister from April 2022 to August 2023 in the coalition government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

*Alvi Initially Refused to Administer Oath*

President Alvi had initially refused to administer the oath to Shahbaz Sharif in 2022. At that time, he was sworn in by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. Shahbaz became Prime Minister for the first time after Imran Khan's government was ousted through a vote of no confidence. Before becoming President, Alvi was a senior leader of Imran's PTI party.

*No Clear Majority Achieved by PML-N*

The oath-taking ceremony comes days after an agreement on power-sharing between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). On Sunday, Shahbaz Sharif secured a majority in the newly elected parliament amidst opposition uproar. Shahbaz received 201 votes out of 336 members in the parliament, while his rival, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Umar Ayub Khan, received only 92 votes. During the voting amid allegations of rigging, the PML-N failed to achieve a clear majority in the February 8 elections, securing victory on only 75 seats.