Imran Khan takes oath; Sidhu courts controversy at the ceremony

Imran-khan-taking-oath Clad in a black sherwani, an overwhelmed Imran Khan fumbled and smiled over some of the words of the oath as he pledged his “allegiance to Pakistan" | AFP

It's official. The dawn of a new era in Pakistan has begun. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan sworn-in as the prime minister of Pakistan on Saturday at a no-frills ceremony at the President's House in Islamabad.

Clad in a black sherwani, an overwhelmed Imran Khan fumbled and smiled over some of the words of the oath as he pledged his “allegiance to Pakistan", and swore to "discharge'' his “duties and perform my functions honestly, to the best of my ability...and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of Pakistan".

His wife and spiritual guide Bushra, dressed in spotless white, was seen praying through his oath, sitting in the front.

Imran Khan, who won on the plank of the promise of a 'Naya Pakistan', hopes to usher in a corruption-free, self-reliant country with plenty of jobs. And he will have to start delivering really soon.

This will not be easy. Pakistan's economy is tottering at the edge of bankruptcy and might need an IMF bailout. Imran Khan, so far, refused to go down that route. He has also promised to create 10 million jobs—a promise that he might find difficult to keep. There is a looming water crisis as well.

More importantly, there is the need to win over those who oppose him. If the mood in the national assembly on Friday, when he was elected as prime minister, is anything to go by, it will not be an easy ride for Khan with legislation. He won by a narrow margin of four votes. The half way mark is 172 votes and Imran Khan had 176.

A belligerent Khan, with his supporters, had taken on an equally aggressive PMLN members, led by Shahbaz Sharif, to slug it out over rigged elections. The battle has just begun.

Sidhu in the soup

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had gone across the border with a message of peace, seemed to have delivered it straight to the man who mattered—the Pakistan army chief. He was seen hugging General Qamar Javed Bajwa and talking to him animatedly. This, of course, hasn't been well-received back home with the Congress party now finding itself in the midst of controversy that is only likely to escalate. To make matters more awkward, he sat next to President of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan. This again is likely to ruffle some feathers.

The BJP reacted sharply to Sidhu hugging General Bajwa saying why did he not think of Indians killed every day before committing this heinous crime. “Sidhu is not an individual but a minister in a state. Every Indian has taken his act very seriously. Not only he hugged Pakistan army chief but was also seated next to the president of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Sidhu could have refused. He has committed a heinous crime,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

The BJP went to cite instances of other Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Saifuddin Soz of going against national interests as they had praised Pakistani leadership while criticising Modi.

Patra said Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should explain if Sidhu took the party chief's permission to travel to Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi should explain if any explanation would be sought from Sidhu or if he would be sacked before his arrival in India for committing such an act, he added.

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