DNA Special: With Shehbaz Sharif as PM, Pakistan tilts further towards China

Shehbaz Sharif has become the new Prime Minister of Pakistan. This simply means that now Pakistan's tilt towards China can increase further. Today in his very first speech as PM, he raised the issue of Kashmir and also said that China is Pakistan's best friend. During his speech at the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif made three big points.

The first thing he said is that relations with India cannot be strengthened without talks on Kashmir. Apart from this, he also said that he will raise the issue of Kashmir in all international fora.

The second thing is that China is a special friend of Pakistan and this friendship will never be broken because of a third country. Shehbaz Sharif also described China as Pakistan's partner in happiness and sorrow.

Thirdly, he said that his government will investigate Imran Khan's role and these investigations will not be limited to one case. That is, whether it is a case of tampering with the Constitution or the role of other countries in his government, Shehbaz Sharif can file many cases against Imran Khan.

Understanding Shehbaz Sharif

The 70-year-old is the younger brother of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Before entering politics, Shehbaz Sharif was identified as a big businessman in Pakistan. And in the year 1986, he founded the Ittefaq Group, which is still a big name in the construction and steel industry. In 1990, Shehbaz Sharif owned assets worth only Rs 21 lakh. But in 2018, his wealth had increased to Rs 732 crore.

And this increase in his wealth also happened when he entered active politics in 1988, just two years after the formation of the Ittefaq Group. And after this, in the year 1997, he became the Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province for the first time. And then in 2008 and 2013 also he became the Chief Minister of Punjab province again. This was at the same time when the Prime Minister of Pakistan was his elder Nawaz Sharif. And during Nawaz Sharif's tenure, there were two very serious allegations against Shehbaz Sharif.

The first allegation was that he, while being the Chief Minister of Punjab province, had unfairly benefited his companies and invested in them by creating many fake companies in tax haven countries. And the second accusation was that when he was the Chief Minister of Punjab province, his government had the most trade deals with China.

In 2016, when Shehbaz Sharif visited China, he signed a total of 7 trade deals and 17 Memorandums of Understanding on investment. There are allegations that Shehbaz Sharif benefited big Chinese companies under these agreements. And imagine, now that he has become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, how much stronger will his partnership with China become.