Pakistani media praises ‘workaholic’ PM Shehbaz Sharif, others say ‘beggars can’t be choosers’

New Delhi: Shehbaz Sharif, the recently elected prime minister of Pakistan, has a tough job ahead of him, and not all are convinced that the country will recover soon. While some in the Pakistani media are hopeful about Sharif’s ‘administrative capabilities’ given that he is a ‘workaholic’, Pakistanis on social media have said ‘beggars can’t be choosers.’

Pakistani daily Dawn called Sharif, the thrice-elected Punjab chief Minister a “determined”, and “competent administrator”, while The Express Tribune pointed out how he has “long played the public ‘good cop’ to Nawaz Sharif’s ‘bad cop’” when it comes to his relationship with the powerful Pakistani military. The latter also spoke about his “can-do” administrative style, which was on display when he served as the chief minister and worked closely with China on Beijing-funded infrastructure projects. But Tribune also noted that Sharif will not act with “complete independence” to deal with the problems of Pakistan’s crumbling economy, and rapidly declining foreign exchange reserves, because he will have to work on a collective agenda with the coalition partners and his brother.

In a profile feature, The New PM of Pakistan, Dawn mentioned that Sharif called himself ‘Khadim-i-Aala’ (chief servant) instead of chief minister and how he had always been loyal to his brother Nawaz, whom he once hailed as “Jinnah’s political heir”.