ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk assured on Friday that elections in Pakistan will be timely and transparent.
The caretaker prime minister spoke briefly with journalists following his oath-taking ceremony, telling them he would fulfil the responsibility he had come for.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced that general elections in the country will be held on July 25.
“Remember my words, elections will be held on the time fixed,” caretaker Prime Minister Mulk was quoted as saying.
The caretaker prime minister also stressed that the Election Commission of Pakistan would be assisted so that timely and transparent elections can be held.
Justice (retd) Mulk further said that the cabinet would be small and formed after consultations.
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk became the seventh caretaker prime minister of Pakistan after being sworn in by President Mamnoon Hussain. He was unanimously nominated as the caretaker prime minister by the government and opposition.
Top government officials and dignitaries attended the ceremony, including former PM Abbasi, the chiefs of staff, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, and others.
Following the ceremony, PM Nasirul Mulk received a guard of honour at PM House. The newly appointed caretaker PM, while speaking to journalists after the ceremony, said that members of the Cabinet would be announced after discussion on the matter, adding that few members would be appointed to the Cabinet.
The oath-taking ceremony was held hours after the third consecutive National Assembly managed to complete its five-year constitutional term. However, it is only the second National Assembly under civilian rule which completed its tenure, as the NA which came into existence in 2002 had operated under military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Retired Justice Nasirul Mulk was born on August 17, 1950 in Mingora, Swat. He completed his degree of Bar-at-Law from Inner Temple London and was called to the Bar in 1977.
His father, Kamran Khan, was a businessman known for his philanthropic work in Swat. Mulk is fond of playing golf and is often seen taking a walk in the Margalla hills.
The now-retired Mulk practised as an Advocate in all fields of Law for more than 17 years until his elevation as a judge of the Peshawar High Court. He remained PHC chief justice for some time before his elevation as a judge of the Supreme Court.
When he took oath as the 22nd chief justice of Pakistan in 2014, members of the legal fraternity said the appointment would bring honour, dignity and quiet grace.
Why quiet grace? Because, they said, Justice Mulk seldom interjected court proceedings with questions to the counsel unless necessary. A judge who never lost his temper, he extended equal opportunity to the lawyers, but was firm about not allowing the contesting sides to get sidetracked by entering the political arena.
“He is a good administrator and a disciplined judge who knows how to manage courts,” Advocate Hafiz S.A. Rehman commented at the time.
“He was a teacher who had complete command of his subject and avoided controversies,” recalled a former student of Justice Mulk in the Khyber Law College of Peshawar University. “He always came into the classroom well prepared.”
He has also delivered lecturers in Khyber Law College, Peshawar and Peshawar University besides delivering lectures as a guest speaker at the N.W.F.P. Provincial Services Academy, Peshawar.
He is remembered for the way he conducted a contempt case against then prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
He convicted the then chief executive for 30 seconds while maintaining the dignity and honour of the court, and left the disqualification issue open to the Election Commission of Pakistan and the then speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Fehmida Mirza.
INP/NNI
