Imran Khan’s party officially nominates him as Pakistan’s next PM

6 Aug, 2018 14:23 / Updated 6 years ago

Imran Khan’s party on Monday officially nominated the cricket star-turned-politician to be Pakistan’s next prime minister. To assume office, Khan will face a vote in parliament - perhaps as early as Saturday - in which he will have to defeat a rival candidate fielded by the opposition. Khan’s Tahreek-e-Insaf party won the most parliament seats in last month’s general elections. However, it fell short of a majority in the 342-seat assembly, requiring it to form a coalition. Many lawmakers who won as independents in the July 25 vote have joined his coalition. Tahreek-e-Insaf leader Arif Alvi, a lawmaker elected from Karachi, said Khan was formally nominated at a party meeting in Islamabad on Monday. Khan is likely to face tough opposition from the Pakistan Muslim League of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other parties, which allege vote-rigging in last month’s elections, AP reported.