By Prensa Latina
Islamabad : President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called Pakistan to unite to deal with the tough challenges ahead.
Musharraf swore in Gilani as 22nd prime minister but the leaders of the parties that make up the ruling coalition did not attend the inauguration.
After the ceremony, Musharraf and Gilani called the country to unite and fight terrorism, extremism and economic problems, and pledged cooperation to boost progress and prosperity in Pakistan.
But the day before and following his majority vote election at the National Assembly, Gilani ordered to free the judges that Musharraf suspended and enforced home arrest, namely Supreme Court President Iftikhar Muhammad.
Musharraf annulled the Judges power and imposed extraordinary measures last November, impeding the Supreme Court from questioning the legal status of his October re-election for president until 2011.
The above may affect future ties between the former opposition inside the cabinet and executive.
Boycott of the ceremony by the heads of the forces that Gilani represents shows that the conflict involving the president that assumed office in 1999 as head of the armed forces are far from settled despite conciliatory rhetoric.
Among those that declined attendance despite their invitation were the leaders of the People ó s Party of Pakistan (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto, and son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Other absentees were the heads of the Pakistani Muslim League and the National Party, pillars of the government coalition.
To add fuel to the flame, further boycotters of the ceremony were the leaders of the Pakistani Muslim League Q, old government force and allies of Musharraf, Shujaat Hussain, Hamid Nasir and Pervaiz Elahi, who lost the race for Prime Minister to Gilani.