Khan sworn in as Pakistan’s new leader
>> ISLAMABAD: Sporting icon-turned-politician Imran Khan was yesterday sworn in as Pakistan’s new prime minister, marking the culmination of a 22-year political struggle.
Mr Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf, was administered the oath of office by President Mamnoon Hussain in a simple ceremony held at the Presidency in Islamabad.
The ceremony was attended by leaders of PTI and the outgoing caretaker government, diplomats, defence services chiefs, politicians, artists and elites. Also present was Indian politician and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was invited by Mr Khan.
No leaders of Pakistan’s other major political parties were invited.
Mr Khan, 65, wore a black sherwani, a long traditional Pakistani coat, over a white shalwar or trousers. His wife Bushra Bibi was clad in a head-to-foot Islamic covering.
After the low-key ceremony was over, the guests were served simple tea. Officials said that Mr Khan, true to his word, will not move into the prime minister’s official residence, which he earlier pledged to turn into an education or public institution.
The ceremony was held a day after the newly elected National Assembly met to elect Mr Khan as prime minister. The PTI is the single largest party in the assembly, having won 116 of the total 270 seats in July 25 elections.
He received 176 votes, four more than needed for a simple majority in the 342-seat National Assembly. His rival Shahbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) received 96 votes.
Mr Khan is the first prime minister not from either of the two mainstream political parties: the Pakistan Peoples Party and PML-N, which have alternatively ruled Pakistan for the last five decades.
Mr Khan founded the PTI in 1996, four years after retiring from international cricket. “Change” and a “new Pakistan” are hallmarks of his party manifesto.
He has promised to fight corruption and injustice and lift up the country’s poor.
He has also pledged that Pakistan under his government will stop begging for international aid and make decisions free of foreign pressure.
But change is easier said than done and his government is confronted with formidable challenges including a looming foreign exchange crisis. The country in July had foreign reserves of US$9 billion, half the amount it had at the end of 2016.
Relations with the United States, India, and Afghanistan are at their lowest ebb in decades and a major tilt towards China has emerged as a new complication on the foreign policy front.
Earlier this month when it became clear that the new government might seek a bailout package from International Monetary Fund, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would seek assurances from the IMF and Pakistan that the bailout is not used to make repayments to China, which has emerged as financer of last resort for Pakistan in recent years.
Ever since the July 25 election, Mr Khan has received a stream of successful Pakistani businessmen overseas who have assured him of providing maximum financial help and investment. Some of these overseas Pakistanis are being named as possible advisers in the new government.
In a meeting with Japanese journalists earlier this month, Umer Asad, who has been tipped as the new finance minister, provided a rare insight into the mind of the new prime minister.
“He is a voracious reader who has learnt from history,” Mr Asad said.
“Imran draws all his strength from public opinion. His ability to connect to the public opinion is his biggest strength,”
Being a stranger to the corridors of power in Islamabad is Mr Khan’s biggest weakness, analysts say.