Who is Most Likely to Succeed Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan PM

New Delhi: After the political earthquake in neighbouring Pakistan, the next big question is who will succeed Nawaz Sharif as prime minister. Here are the most likely candidates whose names have been doing the rounds and what their appointment to the top post could mean for India.

Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary

Ahsan Iqbal is a leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and currently the minister of planning and development. Sultan Hali, a Pakistani defence expert, told CNN-News18 that Iqbal’s name has been doing the rounds as a possible replacement for Sharif.

More significantly, Ahsan Iqbal is the person who oversaw the $54 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project through. India has opposed the CPEC, which it views as an infringement on its sovereignty as part of the project passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India also thinks that the CPEC corridor, which runs through the length of Pakistan, can be used as an asset against the country. If Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary indeed becomes the premier of Pakistan, it remains to be seen how this will affect ties with India.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif

Asif is the Defence Minister of Pakistan and a PML(N) member. In September 2016, in the aftermath of the Uri attack amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, Khawaja Asif threatened to use nuclear weapons against India, in an interview to Pakistani TV channel SAMAA.

“If our safety is threatened, we will annihilate them (India) using tactical nukes," Asif is reported to have said. Assuming Asif becomes PM, will it lead to more tensions with India?

Shahbaz Sharif

Media reports indicate Nawaz Sharif may pick someone pliable to succeed him. This is where Shahbaz Sharif, his brother and Chief Minister of Punjab province, comes in. Media reports mention Shahbaz as a possible candidate. However, the Panama Papers mention the involvement of Nawaz Sharif’s family in maintaining offshore shell companies. How this will affect Shahbaz’s chances is anyone’s guess.

Nawaz Sharif resigned from his post, his office said, hours after the Supreme Court disqualified him.

The Supreme Court said Sharif is not fit to hold office and ordered a criminal investigation into him and his family.

The Prime Minister's office said in a statement that Sharif has "stepped down" despite having "serious reservations" about the judicial process.

Although Sharif has been disqualified as prime minister, he remains the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the largest party in the National Assembly.

As such, Sharif will oversee the nomination of his successor who will then be rubber stamped in a parliamentary vote, where his party and coalition partners command a 209-seat majority in the 342-seat house.

The opposition is also expected to field a candidate for the premiership, though the nominee has almost no chance of getting sufficient votes.

The vote will likely happen in a matter of days — if not hours — of Sharif's disqualification.