By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday took oath of his office as Pakistan’s 12th head of state at an impressive ceremony held here at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar administered the oath to Asif Ali Zardari under the third schedule of 1973 Constitution.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was the key international figure specially arrived here this afternoon to attend President Zardari’s oath-taking ceremony. Acting President Mohammadmian Soomro and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani were also present.
Zardari’s family including children; Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also the chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party and his two daughters Bakhtawar and Asifa; father Hakim Ali Zardari and Benazir Bhutto’s sister Sanam Bhutto attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Earlier, the buglers of the President’s guards announced arrival of Asif Ali Zardari, while the the participants clapped and raised slogans of “Jeay Bhutto” and “Zinda hae BB zinda hae” as he entered the hall.
The ceremony began with the recitation from the Holy Quran.
Attired in a deep blue suit, Zardari took oath from Justice Dogar and repeated the statement of oath after him.
“….That, as President of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of Pakistan….”
“….That I will not allow my personal interests to influence my official conduct or my official decisions….,” Zardari uttered as he followed the lines of the oath.
After the oath, the President met the seemingly endless list of guests drawn comprising party workers, ministers, parliamentarians, cabinet members, members of superior judiciary, diplomats and elite of the city.
The ceremony was also attended by Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa, Justice ® Qazi Muhammad Farooq, governors, chief ministers, the services chiefs, intellectuals and important personalities.
Coalition partners including ANP’s Asfandyar Wali, JUI’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman attended the function, while Leader of PML-N Nawaz Sharif did not attend the ceremony as he had to leave for London.
The guests shook hands with the President, took photographs with him and greeted him on assuming the charge.
The three children of Asif Zardari and Benazir Bhutto remained hub of attraction throughout the ceremony. The youngest daughter Asifa, clad in green shalwar qameez and white dopatta covering her head reminded many of her mother Benazir, who had attired the similar outfit on her oath-taking as country’s first woman prime minister in 1988.
The PPP workers also showed eagerness in taking photographs with Bilawal Bhutto.
The walls of Aiwan-e-Sadr have been adorned with new huge portraits of the two late prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.