Expert: Pakistan’s policy toward Iran, other countries not to change under new gov't

A Pakistan-based political economist says Islamabad’s policy towards Iran and other countries will not change under the new government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Speaking to Press TV, Shakeel Ahmad ruled out any change in Pakistan’s foreign policy, saying the country’s policy is “stable” and does not change with the change of the government.

He said Islamabad is keen to sustain good relations with all the countries, and that it maintains “a very delicate balance in its relationship” with other countries, which includes the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He also expected the fledgling economic situation in Pakistan to improve under the new coalition government led by Sharif, who is also the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N).

“I think...the presence of Mr. Sharif in the office will bring a new momentum to economic management because he enjoys a very good reputation as a good manager,” the analyst noted.

Pakistan’s parliament elected Sharif as the country’s new prime minister on Monday after the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) government headed by Imran Khan was toppled through a no-trust vote.

Sharif is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister for three terms before being removed from office by the country’s apex court in 2017.

Pakistan’s parliament elects Shehbaz Sharif as new prime minister after Khan's ouster

The Pakistani parliament has elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister.

Shahbaz Sharif replaced Nawaz Sharif, who now lives in exile in the UK, as the PML-N chief in 2017. He also served as the chief minister of Punjab, the most populous province in Pakistan, for three terms.

Most of the PTI legislators resigned from the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament after Sharif’s election.

Khan has accused the United States of orchestrating a conspiracy to overthrow his democratically-elected government and install an “imported government” in Islamabad. 

Speaking on the same program on Press TV, Syed Muaz Shah, a Pakistani lawyer, and geopolitical analyst, did not rule out such a ‘regime change’ plot.

“There is absolutely no doubt…that the United States has a history of playing politics. They love to spread their so-called version of democracy… There are a lot of American hands at play,” he said.

The country has been rocked by massive demonstrations since Sunday, with supporters of Khan pouring into the streets in different cities to oppose what they refer to as “imported government”.

In many cities, protesters have been seen burning the US flag and accusing the Joe Biden administration of fueling the political crisis in the Muslim-majority South Asian country.

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