Interim PM, 24-member cabinet takes oath in Pakistan

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf Friday administered oath to Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro as caretaker prime minister and his 24-member cabinet at the President House.

Former ministers were also present at the oath-taking ceremony that started at the presidential palace after half-hour delay, however, a very small number of foreign ambassadors based in Islamabad were present on the occasion.

The members of caretaker cabinet are former information minister Nisar Memon, Barrister Habibur Rehman, Sikandar Jogezai, former adviser to Prime Minister Dr Salman Shah, human rights activist Ansar Burni, Dr Shams Lakha, Wajid H Bukhari, former secretary defence Salim Abbas Jilani, former senator Khawaja Attaullah, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Lala Nisar Muhammad Khan, former Punjab Assembly member Salman Taseer, former law minister Barrister Shahida Jameel, Shahzada Alam Munno, former provincial minister Syed Afzal Hyder, Raja Tridev Rai, Nisar Ghumman, former foreign secretary Inamul Haq, Abdullah Ryar, former federal minister Abbas Sarfaraz, Ehsanullah Khan, Prince Essa Jan and Dr Fahim Ansari.

The caretaker premier will hold the office of Senate chairman also but will be considered on leave and Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Jamali would be the acting as the chairman in his absence.

While taking oath, Soomro, 57, who will lead Pakistan toward elections due in early January, said: "I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. May the Almighty Allah help and guide me."

Soomro is the third Pakistani to head a caretaker government in the country. Moeen Qureshi was the first with vast banking experience to become caretaker prime minister in 1993. He had a long association with the World Bank. Then came Shaukat Aziz from the Citibank to become prime minister of Pakistan. Soomro was president of the National Bank of Pakistan. He has a experience of working with national and international institutions.

Earlier at a dinner for outgoing government members Thursday, Musharraf said: "I want to say that from tomorrow onwards Mohammedmian Soomro sahib is the prime minister. We are introducing a new culture of smooth transition which is as it should be in civilized societies. The assemblies are completing their five-year term in a better way than before."

Musharraf's own term officially ended at midnight but as incumbent he will remain in office until the court decision. "Today I should have given up my uniform, but I could not do it because the Supreme Court barred me from taking the oath and the case was lingering and lingering," Musharraf said.

Soomro took charge from Shaukat Aziz, who left office of the prime minister when the National Assembly was dissolved midnight Thursday. "The outgoing prime minister approved the notification for the dissolution of Parliament. It took place at one second after midnight," outing Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan told a foreign news agency.

Also on Thursday evening, Musharraf issued an order amending the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) vesting power of lifting state of emergency in the country in the president. He had proclaimed state of emergency in the country on November 3 and issued PCO as the chief of the army staff.

"Currently Musharraf is both the offices of the president and army chief and his new order is a clear indication that he is soon going to quit as army chief so he is vesting important powers in the president," a political scientist observed.

The new order of Musharraf, who in an interview a few days ago hinted at quitting as the army chief by the end of November, became effective from November 3.

Attorney General Malik Muhammad Qayyum has also expressed his hope that General Musharraf might quit towards the end of the current month after the Supreme Court decides on his eligibility to contest the presidential election and would take oath as the president for another five-year term.

When Musharraf had suspended the Constitution of the country on November 3 and imposed state of emergency in the country, it seemed that he had done so to prolong his tenure as the president as well as the army chief.

After his indications to quit the office of the army chief, some political observers say: "Possibly he is taking some steps to indicate that he is quitting as the army chief to reduce the foreign pressure because the US, British and other world leaders are pressing him to quit the post of the army chief at the earliest."

The United States signalled its growing impatience Thursday with Musharraf's failure to end a state of emergency and step down as army chief. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates suggested that Musharraf’s effectiveness as a US ally in the war on terror was in doubt.

Gates said he (Musharraf) had to lift the state of emergency and leave the military as soon as possible. Musharraf's "ability to continue to be a partner in the war on terror very much depends on how events unfold over the next few weeks in Pakistan," Gates told a Pentagon news conference.

Senior US government officials quoted by The New York Times said they fear Musharraf may eventually fall from power and Washington should consider working out backup plans with Pakistan’s military elite. "We would like to see that continue, and that's been our counsel to President Musharraf," State Department's spokesman Sean McCormick said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said: "Let me make it very clear, the president is focused on the here and now. It is up to President Musharraf, he has the responsibility to help restore democracy to the country, return to the Constitution, to hold free and fair elections, to step down from the military and take off his uniform so that he can be a civilian president if he is confirmed by the Supreme Court."

Order for detention of Bhutto withdrawn

The Punjab government early Friday withdrew order for a seven-day detention of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was detained at the residence of Senator Latif Khosa in Defence area of Lahore for last three days. Khosa, who belongs to Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party (PPP), is a member of the Senate.

"The detention order has been withdrawn but normal police security will stay with her," officials said. "The barricade around her place of confinement will be changed into her security cordon. The house is no longer a sub-jail and the jail staff has been removed from the place."

Bhutto started consultation with her aides at Khosa House after end of her detention, the party sources said.

Verbal orders were issued for end of detention of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chairperson Asima Jahangir as well. The female police officials posted at her residence said the police would be withdrawn from her house.

In a prompt response, the United States said if the authorities in Pakistan withdrew the house arrest orders of Bhutto it would be a positive step. State Department's spokesman Sean McCormick told media in Washington that if the arrest orders of Bhutto were withdrawn, it was a positive step. He also demanded immediate end of the emergency rule in the country.