Pak PM meets Sharif to discuss cabinet formation

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 2 (ANI): Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday reached Murree to meet former premier Nawaz Sharif. Abbasi preferred to meet Sharif as his first task after taking oath as the chief executive of Pakistan. Abbasi will thank Sharif for reposing confidence in him to succeed the latter and will also discuss the formation of his cabinet and seek his approval for the nominees for ministerial portfolios, ARY News reported. However, no major changes are expected in the cabinet but it would be interesting to see that who will replace the key portfolio of finance ministry. Pakistan's Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar from office in Panamagate case. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was elected Pakistan's Prime Minister by the country's National Assembly on Tuesday, becoming the interim leader of the country after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers scandal. Abbasi got elected after getting 221 votes in the House of 342. Naveed Qamar of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got 47 votes, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf got 33 while Jamaat-e-Islami's Sahibzada Tariqullah managed just four votes. After announcing the results amid sloganeering, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq asked Abbasi to take the seat of the prime minister and address the House. The Supreme Court on Friday disqualified 67-year-old Prime Minister Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing him to resign. The National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, was summoned by President Hussain to elect the new leader. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominated Abbasi as interim Prime Minister until Sharif's brother Shehbaz is elected as a National Assembly member. (ANI)