NAWAZ SHARIF SWORN IN AS PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER

Islamabad June 05 (Only Kashmir): - Pakistan's parliament has elected Nawaz Sharif as prime minister, marking a historic transfer of power in a country that has undergone three military coups.

Sharif received 244 votes in the 342-seat parliament, returning him to the prime minister's office for an unprecedented third time. The vote was widely expected after Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N won the May 11 elections.

Sharif, who was deposed in a military coup in 1999, likely to face a mountain of challenges during his five year term, including rolling electricity blackouts and militant attacks.

 After being elected to the office of the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif addressed the National Assembly and vowed to fulfill the mandate entrusted upon him by the people of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sharif thanked the MNAs who voted in today’s election and said the people’s verdict had shown that democracy was the only way forward.