In Pakistan, after Imran Khan who? The 4 names in contention

Islamabad, Apr 4: In a highly controversial move, Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan stunned a determined Opposition on Sunday by recommending snap elections, minutes after a no-confidence motion against him was dismissed by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

Even as the ball is now in Supreme Court to decide whether Khan should face a no confidence vote or the country should go for fresh polls, there are four persons in the race to become the next Pakistan Prime Minister.

Shahbaz Sharif

He is currently the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan and was the front-runner to occupy the country's top post if the no confidence vote was conducted in the parliament on Sunday. The 70-year-old political heavyweight is the brother of former Pakistan PM Nawaz Shariff.

Shahbaz had served as the Chief Minister of Punjab, thrice. Known as a tough administrator, he is a workaholic. On the flip side, his multiple marriages and properties in London and Dubai had often put him

Asif Ali Zardari

He is the president of Asif Ali Zardari and served as the President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. Hailing from a rich Sindh family, he came to the limelight after his marriage to Benazir Bhutto. He was jailed twice on charges of corruption, drug smuggling and murder. His legacy remains divisive, with political observers accusing his administration of corruption and cronyism.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the current chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. He is the son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan on 13 August 2018. He is a strong advocate of "peaceful, progressive, prosperous, democratic Pakistan", what he calls his mother's vision. He is popular among youths.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman

He is an Islamic fundamentalist who has been the acting president of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of establishment political parties formed to resist the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf administration of Imran Khan. Over the years, he has attempted to re-brand himself as a moderate without connections to religious extremists and hardliners.

His party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has usually played a key role in forming governments.