Pakistan Roundup: President’s second term, election protest, new cabinet
President sworn in for second term
Asif Ali Zardari March 10 took the oath as the 14th President of Pakistan, at a ceremony in Aiwan-e-Sadr, the presidential palace in northeastern Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by outgoing president Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, governors, chief ministers, parliamentarians, political leaders, diplomats, and media persons. Zardari was elected as the country's president for the second time on March 9. Zardari is the only individual in the South Asian country to have been elected as head of the state for a second time and one of the four democratically elected presidents to have completed their five-year constitutional term, Nation Pakistan reported.
Opposition protests against elections
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held protest demonstrations on March 10 against alleged rigging in the general elections, while police arrested PTI leaders and workers in Lahore, the largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. PTI leaders and supporters were arrested after they took to the streets in various cities and called for a judicial probe into the alleged rigging. PTI Secretary General and former federal minister, Omar Ayub Khan said on social media that they “strongly condemn the widespread arrests across Punjab of PTI activists who are protesting peacefully against Form 47s rigging done against PTI". "Peaceful protest is the constitutional right of every citizen. The illegitimate federal and Provincial Governments are Fascist Governments, and we condemn this action of the Punjab Police,” they added.
New cabinet sworn in
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif introduced his 19-member federal cabinet, urging them to either perform or perish on pressing issues. Following Asif Ali Zardari's oath as the newly elected president, Sharif outlined the government's roadmap, emphasizing economic revival and tackling inflation as the biggest challenge. The ministers officially started working on the items listed in the first 100-day agenda during the first cabinet meeting, which was held at the Prime Minister's residence, local media the Express Tribune reported.
Punjab short-term budget
The government of Punjab, a province located in the central-eastern region of Pakistan is set to introduce a short-term mini-budget, drafted by the finance ministry of the province under the recently elected chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz who is also the daughter of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif. The assembly is expected to convene next week to begin budget proceedings, with the finance minister presenting the budget to the assembly following the approval of Nawaz, Pakistan Observer reported.
Terrorists killed by own explosives
Two terrorists were killed and a third one injured in a blast on March 10 in Peshawar, north-west of Pakistan and the sixth most populous city of the South Asian nation. According to the Express Tribune, the explosion was carried out by terrorists transporting explosives. Investigations are underway and as of the time the incident was reported no arrests had been made. “According to the bomb disposal unit report, the blast was not a suicide attack but occurred during the transfer of explosives,” an official of the Pakistan police told reporters. The three terrorists were riding a motorcycle and no civilian was killed, the Express Tribune reported.
