The leaders of Pakistan’s combined opposition appear to have arrived at a broad understanding of forming a new government that will fairly represent all constituents of the coalition, headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
According to a Pakistani newspaper Daily Jang, Sharif’s cabinet will have 12 members from former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party PML-N, 7 from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People Party (PPP), 4 from Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F, 2 from MQM-P and one each from BNP Mengal, ANP, Jamhoori Watan Party and Balochistan Awami Party.
While the positions of prime minister and president hold importance, the question of who will be the foreign minister under the new government is also significant. The joint Opposition has been constantly targeting Khan’s government for alienating the United States and turning excessively close to China.
Sources say that PPP’s Chairman Bilawal Bhutto may make debut as foreign minister of the country. The eldest son of slain former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told the media last week that his party will decide about his role in the new government.
The 33-year-old Oxford-educated politician, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the son of former premier Benazir Bhutto and ex-Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari. He is the maternal grandson of former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
A day after the removal of Imran Khan as Prime Minister, following a no-confidence vote, Bilawal Bhutto celebrated the Pakistan Constitution Day on April 10.
"On April 10, 1986, Benazir Bhutto ended her self-imposed exile and arrived in Lahore to launch her struggle against Ziaul Haq," said Bilawal as he recalled his mother and two times prime minister of Pakistan. In a country where bloodline and family matter big time, Bilawal’s words are carefully heard and internalised.
“I have a message for the Pakistani youth that they should never give up on their dreams as nothing is impossible. Democracy is the best revenge,” Bilawal said.
In an interview with @BBCWorld, Chairman PPP @BBhuttoZardari confirms, his party would support Shehbaz Sharif as a prime minister; motivation is to conduct electoral reforms for moving towards more democratic Pakistan, besides he didn't confirm his debut as next foreign minister. pic.twitter.com/2fqtP6tLDP
— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) April 10, 2022
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, in Pakistan's Rawalpindi when she was campaigning for polls slated to be held in January 2008.
He was then 19 and a student at Oxford University. Bilawal was anointed a symbolic head of the party till the completion of his studies before taking over the reins of the PPP.
He fought elections for the first time in 2018– a controversial poll that was rigged by the army in favour of Imran Khan. In his first ever speech in the National assembly, Bilawal coined the term 'PM Select' for Imran Khan who was sworn in as Premier.
Also Read: Why Imran Khan’s exit in Pakistan is good for India
