Pakistan’s ousted prime minister moved on Saturday to install his younger brother as his successor, less than 24 hours after he was forced aside in the wake of a corruption scandal.

The ruling party that Nawaz Sharif headed until a court ruling disqualified him from office nominated his brother, Shahbaz, to eventually take over as leader – although he must first have to stand for election to the national assembly.

Sharif also put forward Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a staunch ally, to serve as interim prime minister while his brother contests a byelection.

The move was immediately condemned by the opposition leader, Imran Khan, who likened Pakistan’s tradition of political dynasties to “a form of monarchy”. “Political parties don’t have democracy in them. They are family parties … Actually, it’s like a form of monarchy.”

Sharif revealed the succession plan in a televised speech. In an emotional appeal, he pleaded for support for his brother. He said he had tried his best to put Pakistan on the path of progress, but said he was being unfairly penalised by his disqualification.

He was removed by the supreme court, he said, on “baseless allegations”, adding that the opposition had targeted him and his family. “My conscience is clear. I have never been involved in corruption. I ask you to support me in building this nation of ours. Only one family is being targeted for accountability,” he said.

“My hands are clean and none of my family members misused government funds,” he said. “So much time has been wasted on the Panama leaks matter. Since 2013 we have broken the back of militancy; 70%-80% of militancy has been eliminated.”

Shahbaz Sharif, who has served as chief minister of the politically influential Punjab state since 2013, will have to resign from his post and win a seat in the country’s national assembly before he can assume his elder brother’s former role – a process that may take over a month.

Sharif’s party, which has a comfortable majority in parliament, moved swiftly to ensure continuity and a smooth transition, a day after the supreme court disqualified him from office, after finding he was “not honest” in an asset declaration form filed during his 2013 election campaign. In his speech, Sharif defended his record, insisting that he had always paid his taxes. His daughter, Maryam Nawaz, tweeted that her father would “return with greater force”.

Abbasi, a former petroleum minister, said he was grateful to Sharif for naming him premier, even though it would only be for a short time.

The latest developments came as politicians and legal experts questioned who was running the government. Raja Zafarul Haq, a senior leader from Sharif’s party, said there was no provision in the constitution for the appointment of an acting prime minister.



He said that although the court in Friday’s ruling asked the figurehead president, Mamnoon Hussain, to “ensure continuation of the democratic process”, the reality was that the country was still facing a political crisis. He said Sharif might have stayed in power until the appointment of a new prime minister if judges had not sacked him effective immediately.

The supreme court case focused on revelations contained within the Panama Papers leaks in April 2016 which showed that three of Sharif’s children owned offshore companies and assets not disclosed in his family’s wealth statement. It was the latest in a series of corruption allegations that have dogged his career.

The justices banned Sharif from participating in politics for not being “truthful and honest”. His party’s leaders said that with their majority, they would remain in power until the general elections in June 2018.

Earlier, hundreds of Sharif’s supporters rallied in Islamabad against his disqualification. The demonstrators marched along a main road, chanting slogans, before peacefully dispersing. Opposition leader Imran Khan asked his supporters to travel to Islamabad on Sunday to celebrate Sharif’s removal.