News Analysis |
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, will take the oath as prime minister, of Pakistan, on either August 17 or 18, party’s Senator and close aide to PM-in-waiting Faisal Javed confirmed on Friday.
President Mamnoon Hussain has summoned the session of the National Assembly on August 13 [Monday] at 10 am during which newly-elected members will take the oath of their office. Outgoing Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will administer the oath to the newly elected members. After the oath-taking ceremony of the MNA’s elections for the speaker, deputy speaker and the leader of the House will be conducted.
PTI had secured 116 general seats in the National Assembly in the July 25 and later named Imran Khan as its candidate for the premiership. Khan is all set to become the country’s (which? 10th, 11th?, what?) PM
PTI has nominated former speaker KP assembly Asad Qaiser for the Speaker of the National Assembly. While the opposition has nominated Khurshid Shah for this slot. Earlier reports suggested that after that the oath-taking ceremony of the Prime Minister might take place on August 14, but, this plan is now shelved. On Thursday, PTI’s spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said Imran Khan might take oath as PM of the country on August 16 or 17.
PTI and Caretaker law and information minister Ali Zafar had requested the President to postpone his foreign trip. President Mamnoon was scheduled to visit Edinburgh from August 16 to August 19, however, he has now decided to postpone his foreign trip in order to administer the oath to the next PM. Now, the oath-taking ceremony won’t be delayed and will happen on the stipulated time.
Read more: Imran Khan: Pakistan’s Jack Kennedy
According to PTI’s spokesperson: PTI has surpassed the magic number of 172 and has now reached the figure of 180. He confidently claimed that Khan will be elected the premier within the first round of the votes in the lower house. PTI had secured 116 general seats in the National Assembly in the July 25 and later named Imran Khan as its candidate for the premiership. Khan is all set to become the country’s (which? 10th, 11th?, what?) PM. However, he will possibly face the joint opposition candidate PML (N) President Shahbaz Sharif.
If PTI chairman takes oath on August 17, then this date has a great significance in Pakistan’s history. On August 17, 1988, 30 years ago, President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq of Pakistan died when a Pakistani Air Force plane exploded in midair and crashed shortly after taking off from Bahawalpur Airport. The 64-year old president had ruled Pakistan for 11 years, largely under martial law, since taking power in a military coup in 1977.
PTI’s emergence as a single largest party and defeat of long-established political entities like Maulana Fazal ur Rehman and Asfandyar Wali Khan has jolted the historical status quo
It was the end of an era which redefined the country’s political history. After his demise, the political system was defined and shaped by two-parties PPP and PML-N that kept on alternating in power, with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif as their leaders, between 1988 to 2018.
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Today, after almost three decades, the political structure of Pakistan that was dominated by these two parties PML-N and PPP- or their factions is is finally coming to end. In a way, the system that was created by Gen. Zia is finally being overtaken by new political forces.
Imran’s never dying charisma and determination brought the end to the status quo in the country, where both the parties took turns and ruled the country without creating new political directions. PTI’s emergence as a single largest party and defeat of long-established political entities like Maulana Fazal ur Rehman and Asfandyar Wali Khan has jolted the historical status quo.
Read more: A letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan
Imran may have broken the status quo, but he himself apparently became part of it after conceding and compromising on his principles to make the government with the help of PML-Q, MQM-P, and independent-elects. Nevertheless, the PTI won the election on anti-status quo rhetoric and if Imran continues as a strong leader, he may rewrite the history of this troubled country.