Some 13 years after he was deposed in a coup and sent into exile, the 63-year-old was formally chosen by a vote in the National Assembly and will take the oath from President Asif Ali Zardari later in the day.
The country faces a daunting array of problems from crippling power cuts to Taliban militancy, and the new prime minister said citizens should be in no doubt about the challenges that lay ahead.
Sharif has advocated peace talks with the Taliban, though the all-powerful military has voiced deep scepticism about the idea of doing deals with the militants.
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