ISLAMABAD: Former chief justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk on Friday took oath as Pakistan’s seventh caretaker prime minister at the President House.
President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath to the caretaker prime minister at a ceremony. Following the ceremony, Justice Mulk was presented a guard of honour by the armed forces.
Top government officials and dignitaries attended the ceremony, including former PM Abbasi, the chiefs of staff, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, and others.
The oath-taking ceremony was held hours after the third consecutive National Assembly managed to complete its five-year constitutional term. However, it is only the second National Assembly under the civilian rule which completed its tenure, as the NA which came into existence in 2002 had operated under military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf.
However, these three NAs have elected seven prime ministers over the last 16 years, which indicates underlying weaknesses in democratic institutions and political parties in the country.
Justice (r) Nasirul Mulk was unanimously nominated as Caretaker Prime Minister by the government and opposition.
On May 28, former leader of opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah announced that Justice (r) Mulk will take reigns as caretaker premier while addressing a press conference along with the former PM and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Born on August 17, 1950, in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nasirul Mulk has served as the 22nd CJP after Tassaduq Hussain Jillani retired from the post.
He was a barrister-at-law of the Inner Temple, London. He was elected as secretary general, Peshawar High Court Bar Association in 1981.
In 1993, he was appointed as the advocate general of KP, formerly known as North-West Frontier Province. A year later, in 1994, he was appointed as the judge of Peshawar High Court.
He was elevated as chief justice of Peshawar High Court on May 31, 2004, and as a Supreme Court judge on April 4, 2005.
Nasirul Mulk took oath as Chief Justice of Pakistan on July 6, 2014, and served in the capacity for about a year.
