- Party keeps changing date of Imran’s oath-taking, from Aug 11 to Aug 14 and now Aug 18
- President Mamnoon delays Edinburgh visit to participate in new PM’s swearing-in ceremony
ISLAMABAD: In contrast to earlier claims that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will take oath on August 14, PTI Senator Faisal Javed on Friday announced that the prime minister-in-waiting will now be administered oath on August 18.
Even though the Imran-led PTI has time and time again claimed to achieved enough seats for forming their government in the Centre, the party hasn’t been able to decide on its federal cabinet, date of Imran’s oath-taking, his residence beside PTI’s nominee for chief ministership of Punjab.
His announcement came a day after President Mamnoon Hussain agreed to convene the National Assembly’s inaugural session on August 13 and postponed his trip to Edinburgh to participate in the oath-taking ceremony.
Mamnoon, who was scheduled to visit Edinburgh from August 16 to August 19, will leave the country following the oath-taking ceremony.
Speaking to journalists, PTI Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry had said that newly-elected members of the NA would take oath at 10am on August 13, which would be followed by the election for speaker and deputy speaker of the assembly through secret balloting.
“The procedure takes two to three days, hence it has been decided that the oath-taking would take place on August 18,” he announced, adding that preparations for the ceremony would kick off from Saturday.
Though Imran Khan is about to become the PM of the country but his party keeps on taking U-turns. In addition to changing the date of oath-taking — from Aug 11 to Aug 14 and now 18 — it has also backtracked on its stance to hold an “austere national ceremony” and the residence of the incoming premier.
Fawad Chaudhary, who had announced that Imran would take oath in a simple ceremony at President House, contradicted his statement, saying, “Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Navjot Singh Sidhu have been invited alongside the Pakistan cricket team that had won the world cup.”
Fawad’s remarks about the residence of Imran Khan also came in contrast to PTI’s Chief of Staff Naeemul Haque’s claim who had said that the PTI chief would be living at Punjab House’s CM Annexe during his stint as the PM of Pakistan. According to Fawad, Imran won’t be living at the Punjab House or the PM House but will live in Ministers’ Enclave.
However, the PTI chief might live at Punjab House for few days till the renovation of his residence at the Ministers’ Enclave.
