Tearful Khan takes reins of power in nuclear-armed Pakistan
IMRAN KHAN, Pakistan’s new prime minister, was sworn in at a ceremony in Islamabad yesterday, ushering in a new political era as the World Cup cricket hero officially took the reins of power in the nuclear-armed country.
The ceremony at the President’s House in the capital marks the end of decades of rotating leadership between the ousted Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), punctuated by periods of army rule.
A tearful Mr Khan smiled as he stumbled over some of the words of the oath administered to him by President Mamnoon Hussain during the ceremony, televised live by the state broadcaster PTV.
He 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”.
The 65-year-old former cricketer, who captained Pakistan to World Cup victory in 1992, had won a confidence vote in the National Assembly the pre- vious day. In parliament on Friday he came out fighting with a divisive speech in which he vowed to hold corrupt officials accountable.
The election on July 25 that brought his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to power was condemned as “Pakistan’s dirtiest”, with accusations throughout the campaign that the military was attempting to tilt the playing field in Mr Khan’s favour.
The army and Mr Khan have denied claims from rival parties of “blatant” vote rigging.
Theresa May, the Prime Minister, was among the first world leaders to telephone and congratulate her new counterpart.
“They agreed to work together to build on the good relations in a wide range of areas, including security cooperation, anti-corruption, and bilateral trade,” a statement issued by the British Prime Minister’s office said.
Bushra Bibi, Mr Khan’s third wife, kept her eyes cast modestly downwards during Saturday’s ceremony.
It was her first public appearance since their wedding earlier this year, and she appeared escorted by tight se-
‘They will work to build on the good relations in security, anti-corruption and bilateral trade’
curity and covered from head to toe in a white niqab, a conservative garment by Pakistani standards.
Mr Khan had invited the rest of the 1992 cricket team to the ceremony, and Wasim Akram, the fast bowler, was pictured smiling among the crowd.
Later, Mr Khan went to the prime minister’s house in the capital, where he was met by a guard of honour.