The cabinet of Pakistan’s new prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, was sworn in on Tuesday as his coalition of erstwhile political rivals prepared to fight calls for elections from Imran Khan, who was ousted from office just over a week ago.
Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, was chosen as prime minister by parliament after Khan was ejected from office in a no-confidence vote brought by an assortment of disparate parties including the PML-N.
But the new 34-person cabinet, made up of ministers from across parties who until recently were opponents, faces daunting challenges. Pakistan is struggling through one of its worst economic crises in years, with double-digit inflation causing widespread distress, along with concern about its foreign debt obligations and the future of a $6bn IMF programme.