ISLAMABAD: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was administered oath as the 23rd prime minister of the country at the Presidency on Friday.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath at a special ceremony. It was attended by Senate Chairman Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Syed Masood Kausar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, AJK President Sardar Yaqoob Khan, AJK Prime Minister Abdul Majid Chaudhry, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Mehdi Shah, senators, MNAs, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, services chiefs, diplomats, political leadership and a large number of party workers.
President Zardari also administered oath to 38 members of the federal cabinet, comprising 27 federal ministers and 11 ministers of state, at the Presidency.Those who took oath as federal minister included, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Haji Khuda Buksh Rajar, Dr Farooq Sattar, Senator Maula Buksh Chandio, Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Mir Changez Khan Jamali, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Senator Babar Khan Ghauri, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Mir Israrullah Zehri, Senator Farooq H Naek, Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi (senior minister), Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Syed Naveed Qamar, Farzana Raja, Eng Shaukatullah, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Rana Mohammad Farooq Saeed Khan, Sameena Khalid Gurki, Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan, Hina Rabbani Khar and Sardar Muhammad Omar Gorgeig.
Those who took oath as ministers of state are: Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Muazzam Ali Jatoi, Malik Azmat Khan, Syed Samsam Ali Bukhari, Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi, Dr Nadeem Ahsan, Nawabzada Malik Amaad Khan, Abbas Khan Afridi, Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Dost Muhammad Mazari and Raheela Baloch. Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony, Zardari said that the ultimate court was the court of the people and the ultimate verdict was pronounced by the history. He said that the people and the history would give their verdict sooner rather than later.-Dailynews
