Putin, Shehbaz Sharif’s Secret Letters: Pakistan PM Wants Stronger Ties With Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have been exchanging letters in recent weeks where they discussed possibly strengthening the relationship between their countries, according to a report.

The exchange of letters began after Putin wrote a letter to Shehbaz congratulating him for being elected as the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan on April 11. The Russian president also expressed his desire to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries, a Pakistan foreign office official with knowledge of the discussions told The Express Tribune.

According to the official, Shehbaz later replied, thanking Putin for congratulating him. He also expressed similar sentiments about deepening bilateral ties between the two countries and cooperating on Afghanistan.

The International Business Times cannot independently verify the letter exchange between Putin and Shehbaz.

Resetting and strengthening ties with Russia has been a decision taken by Pakistan a long time back. However, the Shehbaz Sharif government also aims to reset ties with the European Union and the West, especially with the United States, according to foreign office officials.

The letter exchange come after Shehbaz, 70, was elected by Pakistan’s parliament after cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was removed as the prime minister in a no-confidence vote. Shehbaz won the seat after getting 174 votes, just two more than the required simple majority.

His ascension to the prime minister post marks the return of the Sharif family as one of the most powerful political dynasties in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif, his brother, served as Pakistan’s prime minister thrice between 1990 and 2017.

Shehbaz himself served as the chief minister of Punjab thrice. He initially worked in the family’s business before he entered the political scene in 1988. He was initially elected as Punjab’s chief minister in 1997 before the Sharif family went into exile following a military coup in 1999 that led to the ousting of his brother. Shehbaz returned to Pakistan in 2007 and was once again elected as Punjab’s chief minister.

He was re-elected as the chief minister of Punjab in 2013.

The Sharif family had been the center of a scandal in 2017 after they were named in the Pandora Papers leak, which revealed the owners of offshore companies and secret bank accounts. Nawaz was removed from office and put on trial over corruption allegations. Shehbaz was also charged with corruption over the years. However, he was never found guilty by the court.