Pakistan's Supreme Court today disqualified the three- time prime minister for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing Sharif to resign.
Zahid Hussain, an author and senior journalist, said that one cannot be sure who would be the successor to Sharif.
"One cannot be sure about it. It's a very uncertain situation," he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
A report in The Nation newspaper said the potential candidates for the post are rumoured to be Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar, Federal Minister of Defence and Minister of Water and Power Khawaja Asif, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and younger brother of Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
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Asif is also on a visit to the US.
The option of Shahbaz is rather lengthy as he will have to be elected as Member of National Assembly (MNA) and resign as Chief Minister of Punjab and Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) seat, the report noted.
Sadiq is another strong candidate for the Prime Minister's post and likely to be selected as premier.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is another major candidate for Prime Minister's seat and party will take decision soon regarding it. Some political circles are taking name of Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir as another potential candidate, the paper said.
"We have seen in the past that whenever under pressure, the party disintegrated and I think it could happen again," he warned in the Dawn newspaper piece.
The Supreme Court has also ordered the National Accountability Bureau to file a corruption case against Sharif, his children -- Hussain and Hassan -- and his daughter Maryam.