PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif has taken the oath of office as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan in a high-profile ceremony held at the President House in Islamabad.
Shehbaz Sharif was administered the oath by President Arif Alvi. The ceremony was attended by PPP leaders Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the governors of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, the chief ministers of Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh, as well as all three services chiefs among others.
The ceremony began with the national anthem, after which the newly inducted prime minister was sworn in.
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Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had also reached the capital city and was welcomed by Prime Minister Sharif at the National Assembly. The PM embraced his niece and patted her. On the occasion, PML-N leader Pervaiz Rasheed, the PM's son Suleman Shehbaz and others were also present.
Later, on reaching the Prime Minister's House, Shehbaz was presented with a guard of honour by a contingent of the armed forces, after which he was introduced to the PMO staff.
Conspicuous by his absence was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who said it would not be appropriate for him to attend the oath ceremony of a prime minister who had not attained the office through a mandate.
On Sunday, the PML-N leader was elected as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan by securing 201 votes and defeating PTI-backed and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) nominated candidate Omar Ayub Khan, who got 92 votes.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced the official results of the polling for the prime minister's office and declared Shehbaz as the leader of the 16th National Assembly of Pakistan.
