Global News Desk:
Members of the new parliament in
Pakistan took their oaths on Thursday during the inaugural session, marking the
commencement of their duties. This comes three weeks after an election that was
clouded by extensive accusations of rigging. The February 8 poll unfolded as
former Prime Minister Imran Khan was imprisoned and disqualified from
participating, while his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), faced
a series of arrests and censorship measures.
Khan's followers defied the
crackdown to win more seats than any other party but the military-backed
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is set to shut them out of power with a
coalition government.
According to the coalition
agreement, former premier Shehbaz Sharif -- who ousted Khan in a 2022
no-confidence vote -- will be elected prime minister again by new lawmakers in
the coming days.
Parliamentarians began arriving at
the 336-seat National Assembly in Islamabad on Thursday morning and took their
oaths of office in unison around 11:30 am (0630 GMT).
PTI members were forced to run as
independents in the election but some arrived at parliament carrying portraits
of Khan, brandishing them in defiance as Sharif and other PML-N leaders entered
the chamber.
"In democracy, the
parliament is a sacred place," PTI's acting chief Gohar Ali Khan told
reporters as he arrived to be sworn in.
"Those who don't have public
trust and don't have the mandate should not be sitting here." Gohar held
aloft a poster reading "Release Imran Khan" as he signed the register
of parliamentarians but the moment was omitted from state TV broadcasts as
cameras cut away.
The Sharif family's PML-N has
agreed to govern with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) run by the dynasty of
slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, as well as several smaller factions. In
return, the PPP has been promised the office of president for their patriarch
and Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari.
Cabinet positions have yet to be
announced. Analysts regard the broad alliance as a shaky enterprise, facing
overlapping economic and security crises plaguing the nation of more than 240
million.
Monitors have also warned the
PML-N coalition may suffer from a perceived lack of legitimacy by portions of
the public sceptical over whether their votes were counted. Despite PTI-aligned
candidates exceeding expectations, Imran Khan claims the election was brazenly
rigged to prevent his party's landslide return to power.
Islamabad cut mobile internet
signal nationwide on election day, citing security reasons but declining to
give specifics. Results were also delayed, further stoking rigging claims.
(News Source By The Daily Star)
