Pakistan's new PM Shehbaz rakes up Kashmir in maiden address, equates it with Palestine

In his inaugural speech on Sunday, Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif brought up the Kashmir dispute, but he also promised to strengthen relations with other major countries, even those that border the troubled SOuth Asian nation.

Shehbaz declared that Pakistan would not play the “great game” and that his government would make more allies.

He promised to strengthen relations with all powerful countries, especially those that are neighbors.

“We will keep ties with neighbours on the basis of equality,” Shehbaz said as he easily won the election in the National Assembly to become Pakistan’s prime minister for a second time.

Shehbaz, however, raked up the Kashmir issue and tried to equate it with the dispute between Israel and Palestine.

“Let’s all come together and the National Assembly should pass a resolution for the freedom of Kashmiris and Palestinians,” he added.

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In addition, he expressed gratitude to his coalition partners for recognizing his abilities and appointing him as House Leader.

“When my Quaid (leader Nawaz) was elected the prime minister thrice, the development that followed in the country is an example of its own. And it is not wrong to say that Nawaz Sharif is the one who built Pakistan,” Shehbaz said in his victory speech.

The president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) expressed gratitude to his older brother Nawaz and all of his supporters for believing in him and designating him as Leader of the House.

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In the 336-member parliament, Shehbaz, the joint candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PML-N, received 201 votes.

92 votes were cast in favor of Shehbaz’s opponent, Omar Ayub Khan of the imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Shehbaz stated that the nation’s weak economy was the main cause of its problems. He stated that the nation was dealing with a fiscal deficit exceeding one trillion rupees at the beginning of his term.

“How we will pay the salaries for armed forces and how to pay the civil servants,” he wondered and added that reforming the economy was the biggest challenge faced by the country.

Shehbaz emphasized the difficulty of repaying debt, stating that the nation will have to pay interest totaling billions of rupees.

He emphasized that the nation’s mounting debt to the corporations that generate power was the reason behind the collapse of the energy sector. He also said that billions of rupees were being lost by state-owned companies like Pakistan International Airlines.

He declared he would overcome all obstacles and pledged to set the nation on the path of growth.

“Though it is easier said than done, we will fulfill our task,” he said.

The government, according to Shehbaz, is committed to rescuing the nation from its current predicament.

“I don’t want to set any deadline but due to various steps we will take, the positive results will start pouring in after a year,” he said.

He pledged to increase investment in the nation and establish favorable economic circumstances that would promote economic expansion. In addition, he promised to work nonstop to fulfill all of these commitments and to expand the network of “one window” export zones throughout all four provinces.

As the new prime minister, he promised to transform Pakistan into a “self-sufficient” country.

“We will rise and we will make Pakistan self-sufficient,” said Shehbaz.

“There are talented people sitting in this Parliament who can steer Pakistan’s ship to the shore these include journalists, intellectuals, politicians, religious leaders,” he added.

Pakistan had a great potential and task ahead of it, according to Shehbaz.

“If we come together and decide to change the fate of Pakistan then God willing, we will defeat these challenges and take Pakistan to its rightful position,” he said.

He emphasized that while this work was challenging, it was not impossible.

“Back to the good old days of development! Onwards and upwards. Nawaz Ka vision, Shehbaz Ka mission,” the PML-N said in a post on X along with a picture of both the leaders.

“The other name of deliverance is MUHAMMAD SHEHBAZ SHARIF,” it said in another post.

The new parliament met in the midst of protests and sloganeering by legislators supported by the PTI.

Shehbaz also noted in his speech that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the PPP’s founder and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s maternal grandfather, would always be remembered for the sacrifices he made.

He further said that the National Action Plan, which has already been adopted to combat extremism in the nation, would be followed in order to eradicate terrorism from the nation.

When Imran Khan’s followers resorted to violent protest on May 9 of last year in opposition to his arrest in a case of alleged corruption, Shehbaz also accused his adversaries, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, for damaging government buildings and national institutions.

“It is shameful that the country saw a day when GHQ, corps commander houses, airfields were attacked on May 9,” Shehbaz said, adding that such sights are unforgettable.

He claimed that the PTI used language that was not appropriate to say aloud and put the entire opposition in jail without giving a damn about ladies or children.

“This is the difference between this leadership and that leadership; the entire assembly is witness to the fact that we never thought of the politics of revenge,” he said.

Shehbaz declared that all innocent persons implicated in different crimes would be spared, but he also stated that those accountable for the May 9 tragedy would not be spared.

During the prime minister’s speech, opposition PTI legislators could not stop yelling slogans. Undeterred by the raucous behavior, the prime minister persisted and spoke for a considerable amount of time. In order to have their concerns about rigging addressed, he urged the opponents to file a complaint with the national institutions.

Shehbaz questioned Imran Khan’s letter to the IMF as well, claiming it amounted to an invitation for foreign meddling in domestic matters. He extended an offer of peace to the opposition and asked them to work with him to resolve the economic problems as well.

On Monday, the oath of office will be given to him at the Presidential house, Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Previously, from April 2022 to August 2023, Shehbaz led a coalition administration as prime minister, until Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections.