LAHORE – Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to appoint ChiefMinister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif as his predecessor.

The younger Sharif is likely to be elected the president of Pakistan MuslimLeague-N after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court onWednesday.

Nawaz has send positive signals to the state institutions. Areconcialatory tone.

Senior party leaders at a high-level PML-N meeting held at Punjab Houserecommended to make Shehbaz the president as he is a non-controversial andinfluential person.

Deposed party president Nawaz Sharif asked leaders from all provinces forrecommendations, who unanimously agreed that Shehbaz’s performance has beenexcellent.

The meeting also said that Shehbaz’s appointment as president will helpimprove the strained ties between state institutions, sources added.

Final decision of the appointment will be taken by Nawaz and will beapproved by the Central Executive Committee.

The PML-N had in a meeting last year decided Shehbaz’s name for primeminister in case of victory in general elections.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday announced its verdict onpetitions challenging the Elections Act 2017, ruling that a persondisqualified under Article 62 and 63 cannot serve as the head of apolitical party.

The decision by the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisaris considered another blow to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz(PML-N) as Nawaz Sharif will no longer remain the party’s president. As aresult of the verdict, all decisions taken by Nawaz Sharif as PML-N’spresident stand null and void.