Mamnoon Hussain sworn in as President of Pakistan
The 73-year-old Hussain is the 12th person to have assumed the role of President in Pakistan.
President Mamnoon Hussain. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Mamnoon Hussain on Monday took oath as President of Pakistan in Islamabad, Express News reported.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Ali Chaudhry administered the oath in a ceremony which was attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani among others.
The 73-year-old Hussain, who is the 12th person to assume the role of President in Pakistan, has spent most of his life as a key member of the business community in Karachi.
Nawaz is understood to have been attracted by his loyalty and low-profile manner, and by selecting a president from the south he gives Karachi some stake in the federal government.
The President had earlier said that he wanted to be a symbol of the federation.
On the accusation that he was being appointed in the same way former president Rafiq Tarar was appointed, he had retorted, “What was wrong with Rafiq Tarar? He served the presidency well.”
Hussain had said that the role of the president is to make important decisions on the advice of the Prime Minister.
“If a president serves as a facilitator by following the law and the Constitution, what’s the problem with that?” he had earlier question questioned.
Hussain was elected president on July 30 by members of the four provincial assemblies and the federal parliament.
He won 432 votes and his only rival, Wajihuddin Ahmed, 77, after the main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party boycotted the vote.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is the first president to have completed his tenure, was given a farewell guard of honour in Islamabad on Sunday.
Mamnoon Hussain on Monday took oath as President of Pakistan in Islamabad, Express News reported.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Ali Chaudhry administered the oath in a ceremony which was attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani among others.
The 73-year-old Hussain, who is the 12th person to assume the role of President in Pakistan, has spent most of his life as a key member of the business community in Karachi.
Nawaz is understood to have been attracted by his loyalty and low-profile manner, and by selecting a president from the south he gives Karachi some stake in the federal government.
The President had earlier said that he wanted to be a symbol of the federation.
On the accusation that he was being appointed in the same way former president Rafiq Tarar was appointed, he had retorted, “What was wrong with Rafiq Tarar? He served the presidency well.”
Hussain had said that the role of the president is to make important decisions on the advice of the Prime Minister.
“If a president serves as a facilitator by following the law and the Constitution, what’s the problem with that?” he had earlier question questioned.
Hussain was elected president on July 30 by members of the four provincial assemblies and the federal parliament.
He won 432 votes and his only rival, Wajihuddin Ahmed, 77, after the main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party boycotted the vote.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is the first president to have completed his tenure, was given a farewell guard of honour in Islamabad on Sunday.