PM Shehbaz appointed PML-N's acting president

The development, which came after the PML-N's central working committee meeting today, has been confirmed by the party's Lahore President Saif Ul Malook Khokhar.

The decision was made after Shehbaz, earlier this week, had stepped down as party president citing the "unjust" disqualification of party supremo Nawaz Sharif from the PM Office and the presidency of the party stressing that it was time for the latter to "resume his rightful place as the president of the PML-N".

The party's general council meeting, previously scheduled for May 11, is slated to be held on May 28 on the occasion of "Youm-e-Takbeer" wherein Nawaz is poised to retake the PML-N presidency.

Furthermore, Khokhar also revealed the appointment of Rana Sanaullah as the chief election commissioner for the party's presidential election.

Speaking with journalists after the party's meeting, senior leader Saad Rafique spoke about Shehbaz's resignation as PML-N president saying that it was "accepted with a heavy heart".

On the issue of the prospects of him being elected as PML-N's secretary general in place of Ahsan Iqbal, the former federal minister said he isn't aware if his name came up for the said post.

Nawaz had stepped down as the country's prime minister in 2017 after he was disqualified for life from holding public office by the Supreme Court for not declaring a receivable salary.

Following his trial in the Panama Papers case, the apex court, in February 2018, disqualified the PML-N supremo as party's president.

In its verdict, the top court had said that a person disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 cannot serve as the head of a political party. The veteran politician, however, arrived back home from London after four years of self-imposed exile in October last year.

On January 8, 2024, the top court scrapped lifetime bans on contesting elections for people with criminal convictions, paving the way for Nawaz to take a fourth shot at power.