Islamabad sources have stated that the PML-N had decided to rally behind ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, as his eventual successor, while party leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was tapped to take over as interim Prime Minister till Shahbaz is elected to Parliament.
According to sources, Shahbaz's ascension to the Prime Minister's office was considered to be a foregone conclusion, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) continues to hold a hefty majority in Parliament and can independently vote him into office. He will also likely seek election to the National Assembly from Nawaz Sharif's vacated seat, which was a PML-N stronghold.
Meanwhile the sources claim that Punjab Excise and Taxation Minister
Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman were likely to replace Shahbaz as the Chief Minister.
The names of Shahbaz and Abbasi, the Petroleum Minister, were finalized in two
separate meetings, one informal and the other involving the PML-N's
parliamentary committee.
