Imran Khan defeats Shahbaz to become Pakistan’s new PM, to take oath tomorrow

Imran Khan will take the oath tomorrow. A total of 172 votes in the 342-member lower house of Parliament are needed to form a government. His supporters celebrated across the country when Speaker Asad Qaiser announced result.

In his first speech to lawmakers as premier, Khan dismissed allegations of election fraud and vowed to enforce “ruthless accountability” to combat corruption.

Khan is a former Oxford graduate and formed his party in 1996 in the eastern city of Lahore, vowing to forge a corruption-free “new Pakistan” with justice for all without discrimination.

He challenged the parties of Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari over the past two decades, but was not able to make a strong showing until 2013 when his became the third-largest party in the lower house of parliament. He was finally able to triumph over his opponents in last month’s vote.

(With inputs from AP)