ISLAMABAD: After being elected to the office of the prime minister with 244 votes, Nawaz Sharif addressed the National Assembly and vowed to fulfill the mandate entrusted upon him by the people of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sharif thanked the MNAs who voted in today’s election and said the people’s verdict had shown that democracy was the only way forward.

The prime minister said he was heartened to see that the people had spoken and that there was no room left for any misadventures sabotaging the democratic process in Pakistan.

He said he wished that the House would stand by the mandate entrusted upon it by the people and pledged to serve the country in the best, most efficient possible manner.

Sharif said time had begun for politics of principles and not of power. He added that the PML-N had embraced the process of change by leaving the field open for Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sharif said the process was also observed in Balochistan where PML-N vacated the field for the representatives of the people of the province.

The prime minister recounted his party’s time in the previous Parliament, saying PML-N stuck to its relationship with the Constitution and the democratic process.

The newly-elected premier said he wanted the people to believe that he would not sit still and would do all in his power to change the fate of the country.

He said his government’s priority would be to give the country a solid infrastructure, bring in economic reforms and tackle corruption.

Sharif vowed that his government would improve the conditions of religious minorities in the country, adding that he also hoped that the media would be reviewing the performance of his cabinet and would assist him and his party in reforming governance.

The prime minister also referred to the law and order situation in Karachi and said his party would work tirelessly to ensure that the city’s security situation improves.

He moreover said drone attacks in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas should come to an end.