Who is Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan's next Prime Minister?

Shehbaz Sharif set to begin second term as Pakistan's Prime Minister, facing economic crisis and maintaining ties with military.

Shehbaz Sharif is set to begin a second term as Pakistan’s Prime Minister in coming days, returning to the role he had until August when the country’s parliament was dissolved ahead of last week’s elections.

Mr. Sharif, 72, was named by his party and coalition allies to head the nuclear-armed nation despite his elder brother and three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif winning a seat in the assembly and being favourite to be sworn in for a fourth term.

Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam said in a post on X that her father did not want to run a minority coalition government having had clear majorities in his three previous stints as the premier. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party has won only 80 seats in the 264-seat Parliament, but has been promised support by six other parties for a majority.

Shehbaz Sharif played a key role in keeping together a coalition for 16 months after the Parliament voted former premier and rival Imran Khan out of office in 2022, and in securing a last gasp International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal in 2023.

Mr. Sharif became prime minister as the PML-N buried differences with the powerful military in the face of their common rival, Khan, who was at odds with top generals over policy differences. At the time, Nawaz Sharif was in self-imposed exile in London and disqualified from holding public office.

Before his stint as prime minister, the younger Sharif was known more as a good administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice in the country's largest province, Punjab. But as prime minister, he quickly took on the role of peacemaker between coalition parties often at odds with one another over key policies.

Mr. Sharif's biggest achievement in his short tenure was clinching a bailout from the IMF with Pakistan on the brink of a debt default. The deal was signed after he personally called on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva last June.