Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been reinstated as the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). This significant development comes after Nawaz was removed from the party presidency in 2018 following a ruling by a Supreme Court bench led by then-chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, which stated that an individual disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution could not serve as the head of a political party.
The election of the PML-N president saw 11 individuals obtaining nomination papers, including notable figures such as Bashir Memon, Anwar-ul-Haq Siddiqui, Ishaq Dar, Raja Muhammad Farooq, Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman, and Shah Ghulam Qadir. In a meeting of the PML-N general council, Nawaz emerged as the elected president, marking a significant turn of events for the party.
Nawaz’s reinstatement as the president of PML-N signifies a pivotal moment for the party, as he takes over the leadership of his younger brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Shehbaz had earlier resigned from the position, expressing that the “time has come” for his brother to “resume his rightful place” as the party president. This transition in leadership within PML-N sets the stage for potential shifts in the party’s strategies and direction under Nawaz’s leadership.
