Retired diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani is said to be the top contender while Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is set to formally recommend the dissolution of the national assembly to President Arif Alvi to pave the way for the next general elections
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul continue to rise. While Pakistan has made efforts to smooth over the growing rift, reopening a key border crossing closed following cross-border gunfire that killed a Pakistani security guard and sending its minister of state for foreign affairs on an official visit to the Afghan capital, there are clear signs that Pakistan’s leverage with the Afghan Taliban seems to be slipping fast.