Imran sworn in as PM Pakistan

Imran Khan (C), chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party speaks after he was elected as Prime Minister at the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament) in Islamabad,

Imran, who described Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah as his hero, has promised to transform the corruption-affected nation into an Islamic welfare state.

Imran Khan was sworn in as Pakistan’s Prime Minister on Saturday, nearly 22 years after the former cricket hero entered politics.

Mr. Khan (65), chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was administered the oath of office by President Mamnoon Hussain at a simple ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (the President’s House) in Islamabad.

The ceremony commenced with the national anthem, followed by recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.

Little nervous

Clad in a black sherwani, Mr. Khan was seen little nervous as he faced difficulties in pronouncing some Urdu words during the oath.

Mr. Khan, who famously captained the national cricket team to World Cup glory in 1992, has also invited some of his former teammates to witness his formal ascension to the top ministerial job in the country.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, cricketer-turned-commentator Rameez Raja, former paceman Wasim Akram were among the special guests present at the ceremony.

Mr. Khan’s third wife Bushra Maneka was also present at the event.

The Oxford-educated Pasthun on Friday defeated his only rival and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Shahbaz Sharif in a one-sided election for the top post in the National Assembly.

Mr. Khan secured 176 votes while Mr. Sharif got 96 votes. A total of 172 votes in the 342-member lower house of parliament are needed to form a government.

In his first address to parliament, Mr. Khan had vowed to act against those who looted Pakistan.

‘Nation starving for change’

“I promise my nation today that we will bring the tabdeeli [change] that this nation was starving for,” Mr. Khan said on Friday after winning the election.

“We have to hold strict accountability in this country; the people who looted this country, I promise that I will work against them,” he vowed.

“The money that was laundered, I will bring it back – the money that should have gone towards health, education, and water, went into people’s pockets,” he said.