Politics is a family business in Pakistan: Reuters
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ISLAMABAD: Politics is a family business in Pakistan and ousted leader Nawaz Sharif has looked no further than his brother Shahbaz for a successor, but the prime minister-in-waiting is no carbon copy and is likely to usher in a new style at the top of government.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party has vowed a smooth transition, with Nawaz loyalist Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to be elected prime minister until Shahbaz becomes eligible to take over by winning a parliamentary by-election expected within two months.
Such an orderly handover would contrast with the South Asian nation's history of political turmoil and would likely go down well with Pakistan's powerful military, with whom Shahbaz has been more conciliatory than his brother.
Shahbaz Sharif, 65, has been in Nawaz's shadow during their three decades in politics, forging a reputation as a workaholic administrator obsessed with infrastructure mega-projects in the vast Punjab province, the family's powerbase that is home to more than half of Pakistan's 190 million people.
