Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, is expected to become Pakistan's new prime minister as the coalition of leading political parties led by them is set to comfortably cross the simple majority mark to form the next government after elections produced a split mandate.
Asserting that Musharraf was 'breathing his last,' Sharif said, "So why he should be supported. The end of the dictatorship is necessary and it will be ended after all."
Bilawal has said the reality is that his party does not have a mandate to form a federal government.
Pakistan's prime minister is trying to use the unrest in Kashmir to save his government, says Ambassador G Parthasarathy, a former high commissioner to Islamabad.
It is the first time in nearly nine years that India's foreign minister travelled to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remained tense over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Clearly, her father hopes that a successful tenure in Lahore will give Maryam the ballast to be prime minister after the next general election.
According to Dawn, Modi in his message reiterated India's desire to build good neighbourly relations with Pakistan.
Creating a powerful new chief of defence forces has split the Pakistan military into four competing factions, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'Personalities are temporary, policies provide for stability.' 'With the former, when personalities change so does the nature of the relationship.' 'Policies and structures, on the other hand, are idiot-proof, as well as maverick-resistant,' explains Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
The brief exchange and handshake between Jaishankar and Sharif took place at a banquet dinner hosted by the Pakistani prime minister at his residence in honour of the delegates attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
India will need to watch carefully and understand the new round of instability and uncertainty in Pakistan, while charting the course of its future diplomatic initiatives, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Even as Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asserted that he is ready to re-engage with India in a substantive and purposeful dialogue, he did not lose the opportunity to rake up Islamabad's oft-stated stand on plight of Kashmiris across the border. Suman Guha Mozumder reports
'We are too important to want to be paired with Pakistan but too intensely connected to it to successfully detach ourselves,' asserts Aakar Patel.
Sharif has been deported to Saudi Arabia.
Cameron Munter, former United States ambassador to Pakistan, is optimistic that under the new leadership of Nawaz Sharif, a rapprochement between New Delhi and Islamabad may be on the cards.
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's supporters reached the heart of Pakistan's capital on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, after removing barricades and battling police in clashes that killed six security personnel and injured dozens.
Nawaz Sharif's appointment of a new army chief will influence India-Pakistan relations
The Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan Peoples Party which won the third largest number of seats in the National Assembly in the elections appears to be split on whether to join a coalition government or sit on Opposition benches.
The three main political parties in Pakistan on Sunday intensified their efforts for the formation of a coalition government after it became clear that the coup-prone country faced a hung Parliament after general elections marred by allegations of rigging.
Noting that Pakistan's Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif appears to be sincere in his effort to improve relationship with India, a former top American diplomat has said he might not be able to do much unless he brings on board the powerful military.
Police said PML-N leaders and workers have been booked for taking the rally in violation of law.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, 70, who is the Opposition's candidate for the new prime minister, will announce his possible government priorities after taking the oath.
The Islamabad high court is set to hear the petitions requesting the suspension of sentences to Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the 190 million Pound Al-Qadir Trust case on June 11.
The change of government in Pakistan after the exit of hawkish Imran Khan and his likely replacement by hard-core realist Shehbaz Sharif may provide a little window of opportunity for the leaders of India and Pakistan to reset their nearly frozen bilateral ties, according to experts.
Police arrested over 100 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf protesters trying to reach party chief Imran's residence. Police also baton-charged protesters in the Pakistan Chowk area.
Pakistan plunged deeper into a political chaos on Sunday night as a defiant Nawaz Sharif joined by tens of thousands of supporters in Lahore was headed towards Islamabad for a mass sit-in front of Parliament on Monday amid reports that a Inspector General of Police of Punjab province's police and several senior officials had resigned and joined his 'long march' for the restoration of the Constitution.
Police on Thursday night stormed a youth convention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Islamabad and arrested scores of party workers, prompting party chief Imran Khan to announce nationwide protests on Friday, ahead of his rally next week seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ouster from power.
Pakistan opposition leader Imran Khan and cleric Tahirul Qadri tonight marched with thousands of their supporters to enter the heavily fortified 'Red Zone', the capital's diplomatic and political enclave, as minor clashes took place between anti-government protesters and security personnel.
On the sidelines of Modi's swearing-in ceremony, Sharif is expected to call on his Indian counterpart for, what officials in New Delhi describe, "exchanging messages of peace".
He said Musharraf was not eligible to contest for the presidents office, with or without uniform, "...because there is no place for a dictator in democracy."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa on Friday after more than a year.
Maryam and her husband are likely to file an appeal challenging the verdict in the Avenfield Properties corruption case.
Pakistan on Wednesday headed for a political showdown as opposition leader Nawaz Sharif vowed to defy restrictions and go ahead with his planned massive 'Long March' to Islamabad on Thursday, even as authorities arrested hundreds of politicians and activists to thwart the protests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Lahore on Friday for a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in a surprise visit to this country -- the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in more than 10 years.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who will travel to Islamabad next week to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, will also meet Pakistan Muslim League chief Nawaz Sharif, who is set to form Pakistan's new government.
The 66-year-old leader was recovering after the operation at Princess Grace Hospital in London and was expected to be conscious in a few hours.
Saudi Arabia has assured Nawaz Sharif that it will take up the issue of his "exile" and "deportation" with Pakistan after Eid-ul-Fitr, the deposed premier's party has claimed.
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi appeared in the Lahore high court for protective bail.
Deposed Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif is set to arrive in Lahore on Sunday after being deported unceremoniously to Saudi Arabia in September when he had briefly landed in Islamabad in a bid to end his seven-year exile, but his homecoming this time is expected to be smooth.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif is keen to visit Jammu and Kashmir to trace his ancestral roots, the former Pakistani premier told visiting People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti. Mufti, who travelled to Islamabad last week to participate in a conference, had met Sharif in Lahore on Thursday.
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