ISLAMABAD: Newly elected Leader of the House in National Assembly Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has taken oath as interim Prime Minister in an oath taking ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr Tuesday.
President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath. Politicians, parliamentarians, services chiefs, and diplomats attended the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected Prime Minister.
Among others, who attended the ceremony include Governors of the four provinces, Chief Ministers of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
Earlier, he was elected Leader of the House in the National Assembly with a thumping majority. In the elections held at Parliament House in Islamabad on Tuesday evening, he secured 221 votes.
His rivals Syed Naveed Qamar of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians secured 47 votes, candidate of PTI and PML (Q) Sheikh Rashid Ahmad 33 votes, and Sahabzada Tariqullah of Jammat-e-Islami bagged 4 votes.
The result was announced by Speaker National Assembly following completion of the voting process in a specially convened session of the house. He declared that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi have been elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Awami National Party and BNP-Mengal abstained from the voting. Before start of the process, the Speaker read out the procedure set out for the purpose.
Earlier, MQM withdrew from the contest in favour Shahid Khaqan Abbasi while Syed Khurshid Shah of PPP Parliamentarians withdrew his nomination papers in favour of his party colleague Syed Naveed Qamar.
The galleries were filled to capacity with visitors including those belonging to the constituency of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Governor Sindh Muhammad Zubair, the Chief Ministers of Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan, Senators and members of the diplomatic community witnessed proceedings of the House.
Addressing the house after his election as Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said strengthening of economy and agriculture, promotion of tax culture and investment and integrated security would be his priorities.
The Prime Minister-elect said it would be his effort to work hard and deliver whatever time was available to him.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said there would be no load-shedding after November this year and pointed out that ten thousand megawatt of additional electricity is being added to the national grid.
He said in line with vision of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan would be made a role model in Asia vis-a-vis motorways.
“I am with Nawaz Sharif for 30 years, he never asked me to indulge in corruption. Nawaz Sharif’s fault is that he made Pakistan a nuclear power,” he said.
The Prime Minister-elect said it is his personal opinion that all automatic weapons should be cancelled for the sake of security and law and order in the country. He also proposed the need for national curricula and a mechanism of national testing mechanism.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the country has a constitution and all institutions and citizens should uphold its supremacy. He urged parliamentarians to work unitedly to restore dignity and honour of the Parliament. NNI