Shehbaz Sharif was on Sunday voted in as Pakistan's prime minister for a second time, presiding over an alliance that has shut out followers of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan.

Newly sworn-in lawmakers in Pakistan's National Assembly elected Sharif with 201 votes, three weeks after the national election was alleged to be marred by widespread allegations of rigging.

Referring to the February 8 election, Sharif told the parliament that his victory was a split mandate, noting that like-minded parties  formed a coalition government.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, allied with their historic rivals the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as well as several smaller factions to give Sharif the mandate. 

Sharif, first served as prime minister in 2022 at the head of a strikingly similar alliance which ousted Imran Khan, a former cricket star.