Jamali sworn in as new Pakistani prime minister

With Additional Reporting by Asif Farooqi, IOL Pakistan Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, November 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Pakistani President Pervez Mushrraf handed over his executive powers to the newly elected Prime Minister and his 21-member cabinet following a swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace here Saturday, November 23.

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and his new cabinet took charge of Pakistan’ affairs from the military President and his cabinet who ruled the country for three years.

While General Musharraf, who overthrew an elected government in October 1999 in a bloodless coup, would continue to serve as President of the country for another full five-year term, most of the members of his cabinet resigned from there offices.

 However, two of the important ministers in Musharraf cabinet, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and Education Minister Mrs Zubaida Jalal made their way back in the government.

Zubaida, who was elected member of the Parliament in last month’s election sworn in as the federal minister while Aziz was appointed as Prime Minister’s advisor.

Another senior advisor to President Musharraf was declared as the senior advisor to the Prime Minister. Portfolios of all the ministers and advisors are to be announced later.

As expected, the dissidents from the opposition party PPPP who voted for Jamali against the party policy were able to retain six seats in the cabinet.

Three of the total ten members of the so-called forward block in the PPPP sworn-in as federal minister whereas three took the oath as the minister of state.

 Other federal ministers include eight members of Jamali's party PML(Q). Important coalition partners like member of the Millat Party of former President Farooq Leghari and Sherpao Group of PPP were given representation in the federal cabinet.

Talking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, President Musharraf expressed his happiness and satisfaction over the composition of the cabinet.

Musharraf took this opportunity to urge the leader of arch-rival India to re-start the stalled process of dialogue with the elected Prime Minister.

Since the failed Agra summit meeting in July 2001, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajepai has refused to hold further negotiations, on the disputed issues such as Kashmir with “a non representative” government in Pakistan.

Musharraf expressed confidence that the new government and the National Assembly would be able to complete their term in office.

No elected government in Pakistan has ever been able to complete its term of five years.

Military interventions and military-backed presidents have sent home sixteen elected Prime Ministers in the country’s 55-year history, during which military dictators have ruled the country for more than half the time.

Musharraf was given three years by the Supreme Court of the country to return the country back to the elected representatives.

He by-in-large stuck to the road-map for the return to democracy and to give the government back to the elected National Assembly after three years and 41 days.

Speaking after the ceremony, Musharraf expressed his satisfaction over the composition of the cabinet.

"I think this team is good. I have no doubts that those who are in the cabinet are competent people," he said, adding that he thought the government would complete its term -- a view few analysts share.

Political analyst Ayaz Amir told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Jamali's choice of cabinet members showed he was trying to keep everyone happy.

"The cabinet reflects very much the kind of support he has and his need to keep every one on board.

"The happiest people would be the PPP dissenters," he said.

"However many among the PML-Q would have heartburn -- many would have been thinking of themselves as hot favourites. How he will handle them is yet to be seen," he said, adding that an eventual expansion of cabinet may be his way of dealing with any outcry over who was chosen.

The opposition party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto reacted angrily Saturday to the appointment of six party dissenters to Pakistan's new cabinet.

"The prime minister has on this inaugural day fulfilled a promise which was not based on morality or ethical principles. It was immoral, unethical," Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.

"More than a quarter of the portfolios have gone to PPP dissenters."

The new cabinet includes six of 10 PPP lawmakers who openly voted for Jamali in parliamentary elections held Thursday, instead of the party's own candidate.

Their votes were critical in securing Jamali the number of MPs needed to claim the premiership.

He needed 165 votes -- more than 50 percent of the 329 MPs present -- to win, and garnered 172, giving him a majority of just one in the full 342-seat national assembly.

The leading dissenters were awarded positions as federal ministers, while Raees Munir Ahmed, Mohammad Raza Hayat Hiraj and Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund were made ministers of state.

"They have voted against the party candidate for prime ministership and they have been rewarded immediately.

"It is very clear now that formation of government was not possible without their support," he said.

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