Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will be sworn in as prime minister on August 18, his party said on Friday, announcing it has the numbers to form a coalition government in the Centre.

The entire squad that Khan captained to victory in the 1992 World Cup were invited to the ceremony, as well as Indian cricket greats Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Navjot Singh Sidhu, PTI senator and Khan’s close aide Faisal Javed Khan said. “In a historic moment, Imran Khan will take the oath [as prime minister] on August 18,” he said.

PTI emerged victorious in the July 25 elections, the country’s second-ever democratic transition of power, but fell short of an outright majority. The party confirmed Friday that it has secured the numbers for a majority in the lower house of parliament. President Mamnoon Hussain has called a session of the new National Assembly starting August 13. During the session, newly elected members will take oath of their office. Elections for the speaker, deputy speaker and the leader of the house will take place after the MNAs-elect take oath.

President Mamnoon Hussain has reportedly decided to postpone his foreign trip in order to administer oath to the next prime minister. He was scheduled to visit Edinburgh from August 16 to August 19. “The president will now embark on his trip after the oath-taking ceremony,” sources said. A day earlier, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chauhdry had said, “Imran will be elected prime minister of the country within the first round of vote in the parliament.” He had further claimed that his party enjoyed the support of 180 members in the Lower House.

Published in Daily Times, August 11^th 2018.