 Though he was not made the leader of PML-N over differences.Reportedly, Sharif was offered to become Prime Minister of Pakistan by the establishment several times previously but never accepted.In December 2017, during a party meeting between the senior members of PML-N, Nawaz named Shehbaz as candidate of the party for the office of Prime Minister in the upcoming June 2018 general election, saying that "Shahbaz had never disappointed him or the party, and had risen to prominence because of his hard work and performance."