Shehbaz Sharif becomes the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on Monday after he secured a majority in Parliament amid a walkout by the members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, who also resigned from the house en masse. Shahbaz is the younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who was disqualified from office by the Supreme Court. 

Shehbaz Sharif, 70, who was the joint candidate of all parties opposed to the PTI, the party of former prime minister Imran Khan, managed to secure the support of 174 lawmakers on Monday. The PTI, which has fielded former foreign minister PTI vice president Shah Mahmood Qureshi as prime ministerial candidate, walked out of the house in protest during the voting. 

“We are announcing, we are all resigning,” Qureshi said in his speech in the House. PTI lawmakers reiterated their claim of "foreign conspiracy", alleging the new government was supported by foreign powers and they can’t be part of the process legitimizing them. 

In his speech after being elected as the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the Supreme Court of Pakistan for declaring the deputy speakers ruling "unconstitutional" and “burying the doctrine of necessity forever.”

He also added that he would resign if the charges of “foreign conspiracy” leveled against him and other leaders by former leader Imran Khan would prove right. 

Rejecting the charges of treason level by the former prime minister against his opponents, Shehbaz said, “Dialogue should replace deadlock as a change would not come merely through speeches……Neither anyone was traitor nor anyone is traitor.” 

“It’s time to move ahead with unity instead of being divided,” he said while admitting the PTI-led government left the country more divided and polarized, where political opponents were often treated as corrupt and enemies. 

The country’s economy, he added, is also in tatters with a current account deficit and other economic indicators have “worsened”.

With just nine months in the current financial year, the country’s trade deficit has surpassed $35 billion and is all set to record the highest-ever deficit this year.