Turkish President congratulates newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister

P / Ankara / Dilara Hamid

Today, Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent congratulations to the new Pakistani Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, during a telephone interview.

According to the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, Erdogan called Sharif after taking the oath of office.

Sharif was sworn in on Monday after the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a vote of no-confidence that he unsuccessfully tried to thwart. Imran Khan asserted that he was the victim of an American plot to impeach him.

Erdogan wished that the results of these elections would be beneficial to the friendly and brotherly Pakistani people. He said they are closely following the developments in Pakistan, a country with which Turkey has deep historical ties, friendship and brotherhood.

He pointed out that Pakistan has not abandoned democracy and the rule of law despite all the challenges and difficulties it has faced. He added that Turkey is ready to provide any kind of support to Pakistan as it has always done so far.

Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the candidate of the joint opposition coalition, won 174 votes in the 342-member lower house of the Pakistani parliament.

At least 172 votes were needed to obtain a simple majority in Parliament.

Sharif’s opponent, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was the candidate of Pakistan’s ousted prime minister’s party, the Insaf Movement, boycotted the elections after his party’s decision to step down from parliament.

Deposed Prime Minister Khan and more than 120 PTI lawmakers announced that they had resigned from Parliament and would “face the imported government in the streets”.

However, these resignations will not be effective until approved by the Speaker of the National Assembly, in accordance with the country’s constitution.

* Translated from the English by Mourad Belhadj

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