Yousaf Raza Gilani sworn in as Pakistan PM
Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday sworn in as Pakistan’s prime minister by President Pervez Musharraf. President Pervez Musharraf administered the oath to Gilani at 12:38 pm (IST). More than 500 invitations were sent to all the important political & other personalities, including PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz Sharif & PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
However, Nawaz Sharif had announced that he would boycott the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan’s new prime minister to protest against Pervez Musharraf’s presence whom he has called “an illegal & unconstitutional” President.
Yousuf Raza Gilani was selected as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan. A former Parliament Speaker who is from a landowning family in Punjab, Gilani will head the incoming coalition government at a time when Pakistan is at crossroads & amid a looming confrontation with President Pervez Musharraf.
Yousuf Raza Gilani said, “I only urge the nation & you all to pray for me, that we take on such a big challenge & do something for the nation, practically”.
Yousuf Raza Gilani was declared as the candidate of slain premier Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party on the eve of closing of nominations for the prime ministerial elections by PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar who read out a brief statement saying he had an enormous responsibility to lead the coalition. He is currently PPP’s vice-chairman.
But the candidature of the man, who defeated former premier Nawaz Sharif in 1988, is likely to further expose the serious differences within slain premier Benazir Bhutto’s party since veteran politician Makhdoom Amin Fahim, another close Bhutto aide, was the initial frontrunner.
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