What we know about Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the new PM of Pak

Abbasi will face Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) nominee Khursheed Shah and Naveed Qamar, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has fielded Sheikh Rashid for today's crucial vote.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday won trust vote ito become Pakistan's 18th Prime Minister

Abbasi, the petroleum minister in the recently dissolved cabinet, will act as a placeholder for the Sharif dynasty till Shahbaz Sharif can be elected to the national assembly and take over the leadership. Shahbaz Sharif is the brother of former PM Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified by the Pakistan Supreme Court on Friday after a probe found his involvement in scam revealed by Panama papers.

Abbasi faced Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) nominee Khursheed Shah and Naveed Qamar, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had fielded Sheikh Rashid for today's crucial vote.

Who is Abbasi?

Abbasi is a member of the National Assembly from Murree. He was born in Karachi and educated in the United States. In 1978, Abbasi attended the University of California, Los Angeles to study electrical engineering. In 1985, he attended the George Washington University, gaining a master's degree in electrical engineering.

After graduating from George Washington, he worked across different projects in the United States during the 1980s, before moving to Saudi Arabia where he joined the oil and gas industry and became involved in various energy projects.

Abbasi's father, who was killed when an ammunition dump exploded in Rawalpindi in 1988, was a minister in General Zia ul-Haq's government.

Considered a long-time loyalist of Nawaz Sharif, the 58-year-old Abbasi has been elected six times as a member of the National Assembly.

After Nawaz Sharif won elections in 2013, Abbasi was appointed oil minister.

Just before General Pervez Musharraf overthrew Sharif´s second government in a military coup, Abbasi was the chairman of national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Abbasi was arrested after the coup and imprisoned for two years before being released.

Using his experience as the chief of PIA from 1997-99, Abbasi, in 2003, setup a private airline Air Blue.

His assets include shares in Airblue, a house in Islamabad, a restaurant business, and land properties in Murree. He is one of the wealthiest parliamentarians in Pakistan, with a net worth anywhere between ₨ 1.3 billion to ₨ 2.3 billion.

OneIndia News