Pakistan: New prime minister elected on August 1 /update 2

Event

The Pakistani National Assembly has elected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) candidate, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former petroleum minister, as the country’s new prime minister on Tuesday, August 1. His election comes three days after Pakistan’s incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigned on Friday, July 28, following a decision by the Supreme Court to disqualify him from holding public office after a probe into his family’s wealth following the 2015 Panama Papers leak.

Abbasi will remain prime minister until Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab province, runs for the position in the 2018 election.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was granted permission by local authorities to hold a political rally at the Parade Ground in Islamabad on Sunday, July 30, to celebrate the resignation of former Prime Minister Sharif. Abbasi belonging to the same political party as Sharif, protests to contest Abbasi’s election are possible in the coming days.

Context

The leak in 2015 of millions of documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca identified links between many political and business leaders around the world and offshore companies and accounts. In the leak it was brought to light that Sharif’s children owned undisclosed offshore companies and assets. Sharif was accused of using those accounts for tax evasion and money laundering. Observers were hopeful to see Sharif become the first Pakistani prime minister to complete a full five-year term. Pakistani politicians generally suffer from poor governance track records, especially in the fight against corruption. Many believe the Supreme Court has started to crack down on corruption, in favor of a more democratic system.

Advice

Individuals in Islamabad and other major cities are advised to exercise extreme caution and to avoid all demonstrations and gatherings. Monitor the situation over the coming weeks and follow any instructions issued by the local authorities.

As a reminder, Western governments advise their citizens against nonessential travel to Pakistan due a nationwide high threat from terrorism, kidnapping, and sectarian violence. Travel should only be considered with strict security protocols in place.