Sharif loyalist Abbasi to be Pakistan's interim PM

Nawaz Sharif's younger brother, Shahbaz, expected to take over after 45 days

Pakistan’s ruling party will appoint Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as interim prime minister after the ouster of Nawaz Sharif, two sources close to the toppled premier said on Saturday, while Sharif’s brother has been chosen as his long-term successor.

Abbasi, 58, is a staunch Sharif loyalist and had been the petroleum minister in his cabinet until Friday when Sharif resigned following a Supreme Court disqualification after a corruption probe.

One senior PML-N official close to Sharif said Abbasi should be appointed “in an hour”, while a second source confirmed the appointment and the plan to have Abbasi in place until Shahbaz contests a