SRINAGAR: Congratulating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan for assuming Prime Minister’s office in Pakistan, Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) member Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday hoped that “Khan is instrumental in the resolution of Kashmir issue.”
Taking to social networking site Twitter Mirwaiz wrote: “Best wishes to @ImranKhanPTI on assuming the office of PM Pakistan. Hope & pray he is able to fulfil Jinnah Sahibs vision and his dream of Naya Pakistan. People of Kashmir also hope that Mr Khan is instrumental in the resolution of our long standing dispute &peace in subcontinent.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan took the oath of office as the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan at the Presidential House, on Saturday. Khan outvoted opposition and PML-N candidate Shahbaz Sharif in the PM’s election on Friday.
Saturday morning, Khan arrived at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (the President House) in Islamabad from his Banigala residence. The ceremony commenced with the national anthem, followed by recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. According to reports appearing in Pakistan media, high-profile guests including caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan and Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi were present on the occasion.
Khan had invited some of his cricket friends from India and other countries. Novjot Singh Sidhu, his old cricketer friend, had taken him a Kashmiri shawl as a gift. Interestingly, when Imran took the oath, he was seated next to Masood Khan, president of Pakistan administered Kashmir.
“A new morning is here in Pakistan with a new government which can change the destiny of the country,” Sidhu, a minister in the Congress government in Punjab, told PTV. He hoped that Mr Khan’s victory will be good for the Pakistan-India peace process.
While most of the analysts started dissecting his “weak” speech in the parliament on Friday, the twitter was on fire over Imran Khan’s Shervani. The flamboyant cricketer has rarely been in this formal elderly dress ever. Khan is one of the few politicians who have a massive presence on the social media. On Twitter, he has a following of 8.2 million people. Taking his oath, the Oxford read Khan is reported to have stumbled in pronouncing the Urdu. He has used Roz-e-Qiyat when he was supposed to say Roz-e-Qayamat. “Throughout the oath-taking, nervous jitters were very much evident on Imran’s face,” website Duniya reported. “Considering the fact that Imran was finally realizing his dream after a long struggle of 22 years, one can give him the margin.”
But Khan fumbling at the vital occasion put the twitter on fire. “Who knew the first problem Imran Khan would have to face after taking the #oath would be Urdu dictation. #PrimeMinisterIK,” Fariha Awan wrote. “Imran Khan just proved, He can’t take dictation,” a user Someone’s prince reacted
Influential Pakistani news channel Geo News said Khan’s 18-member cabinet will be announced on Sunday. The channel, quoting sources said, there will be five advisers as well.
“Some of the expected ministers and their portfolios are Asad Umar, (Finance Minister), Shah Mehmood Qureshi (Foreign Minister), Shireen Mazari (Defence Minister), Shafqat Mehmood (Commerce Minister), Sheryar Afridi (Safron), Fawad Chaudhry (Information Ministry), Sheikh Rasheed (Railways Minister), Ali Amin Gandapur (Housing) Pervaiz Khatta (Interior Minister),” according to the channel. “Razzaq Daud and Shoaib Suddle are expected to be appointed as advisers to the prime minister.”
