Imran Khan sworn-in as 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan
President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath of office to Imran Khan.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was sworn in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday in a simple ceremony hosted at the Aiwan-i-Sadr (President House) in Islamabad.
The event began as the trumpeters of the Presidential Guards played the arrival tune. Attired in a charcoal colored sherwani and white shalwar, Imran Khan entered the hall along with President Mamnoon Hussain and caretaker prime minister Justice (Retd) Nasir-ul-Mulk and went straight to the dais.
The national anthem was played and the Cabinet Secretary announced opening of the event with the recitation from the Holy Quran.
Tearful Khan smiled as he stumbled over some of the words of the oath administered to him by President Mamnoon Hussain.
Khan swore to "bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan", and to "discharge my duties and perform my functions honestly, to the best of my ability... and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of Pakistan."
Guard of Honour
As the ceremony concluded, Khan proceeded to the Prime Minister’s Office, where he was presented a guard of honour.
The national anthem was played and a contingent of the three services presented him salute. Imran Khan inspected the guard of honour and was then introduced to the staff of the Prime Minister House.
The ceremony at the President House marks the end of decades of rotating leadership between the ousted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), punctuated by periods of army rule.
Khan and First Lady Bushra Imran greeted the guests after the oath was administered. It was her first public appearance since their wedding earlier this year, and she appeared escorted by tight security and covered from head to toe in a white niqab.
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Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi present in the ceremony. --- Dunya News screengrab
High-profile guests attending the ceremony included caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan and Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi.
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Guests present in the ceremony.
Other notable guests at the Aiwan-e-Sadr included senior PTI leaders, former Indian cricket star Navjot Singh Sidhu, cricketer-turned-commentator Rameez Raja, legendary paceman Wasim Akram, newly elected Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, singers Salman Ahmed and Abrarul Haq, actor Javaid Sheikh and former National Assembly speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza.
Guests present in the ceremony.
Keeping in view the the desire of Imran Khan for austerity, the guests were offered tea and biscuits. A notification was also issued by the Cabinet Division after the ceremony.
Confidence vote by NA
Imran Khan has been elected Pakistan’s prime minister by the parliament after his party swept the general election last month, marking the beginning of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tenure in power.
Khan, 65, was elected the day before in a confidence vote by the National Assembly and is expected to lead a coalition government.
He received 176 votes as against 96 votes by his only rival Shahbaz Sharif of PML (N) at the voting held at Parliament House in Islamabad.
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In a house of 342, the winning candidate was required to obtain at least 172 votes to become the Prime Minister.
Members of PTI and its allied parties greeted victory of Imran Khan with thumping of desks when Speaker Asad Qaiser declared the result after completion of voting process through division of house.
Khan, clad in a waistcoat and traditional white shalwar kameez garments, smiled broadly and could be seen wiping tears from his eyes while clutching prayer beads as the count was announced.
PPP members attended the session but abstained from voting.
First, accountability
Khan campaigned on promises to end widespread graft while building an "Islamic welfare state".
"I promise to my Allah that everyone who looted this country will be made accountable," he said in Friday’s speech to parliament.
He also defended himself against widespread claims the military had targeted the formerly ruling PML-N, especially its leader Nawaz Sharif, and fixed the playing field in Khan’s favour.
"I am here after 22 years of struggle. No dictator has taken care of me. I am standing here in this parliament on my own feet," he told the raucous assembly as opposition members shouted protest slogans.
Pakistan’s 71-year history has been punctuated by coups and assassinations, and the 2018 election was only its second ever democratic transition of power from one civilian government to another.
Know More: Achievements of Imran Khan which seemed impossible at first
No prime minister of Pakistan has ever completed a full five-year term. Khan will have to contend with the same issue as many predecessors: how to maintain a power balance in civil-military relations.
He will face myriad challenges including militant extremism, water shortages, and a rapidly growing population negating growth in the developing country, among others.
Most pressing is a looming economic crisis, with speculation that Pakistan will have to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
PTI fell short of an outright majority in the July 25 vote, forcing Khan to partner with smaller parties and independents in order to form a government.
But it retained its stronghold in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and has made an alliance with regional parties in Balochistan. The party is also expected to form a coalition government in powerful Punjab, formerly a PML-N stronghold. Southern Sindh province remains in the hands of the PPP.
PTI secured the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly -- putting Khan in a strong position to act on his legislative agenda.
---with inputs from AFP, APP
