Former Chief Justice of Pakistan (retd.), Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk was sworn-in as the seventh caretaker Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan yesterday.
President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath to Justice Mulk at the President House in Islamabad. The outgoing Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was also present during the ceremony.
Justice Mulk was sworn-in after the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan was dissolved ahead of the general elections slated to be held on July 25.
The caretaker PM, whose responsibility is to ensure that the elections are held in a transparent manner, is appointed by the Prime Minister in consultation with the leader of the Opposition.
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Last week, Justice Mulk’s name was announced for the post by the leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah and Abbasi.
After inspecting a Guard of Honour, Justice Mulk said that he will ensure that the upcoming elections will be held in a transparent manner.
He further said that discussions on the members of the cabinet would begin soon and wanted to keep his Cabinet small.
Born on August 17, 1950, in Swat Valley’s Mingora town, Justice Mulk completed his law from Inner Temple London. His father, Kamran Khan, was a businessman, who was involved in various charity activities.
Justice Mulk started as an advocate before being elevated as a judge of the Peshawar High Court in 1994. Subsequently, he served as the Chief Justice there in 2004.
Justice Mulk later became the judge of the Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) in 2005. He served as the country’s 22nd Chief Justice from July 7, 2014, to August 16, 2015.
On November 3, 2007, Justice Mulk was one of the seven judges of the Pakistan SC, when he forcibly sent the judges back home by signing a restraining order after former President (retd.) General Pervez Musharraf had declared Emergency, the report said.
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The ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) government completes its five-year tenure end of this week.
Before the National Assembly was dissolved, Abbasi said in the farewell session that all the problems existing in the country could only be resolved by a Democratically-elected government.
He also stressed on the need for ensuring free and fair elections for strengthening Democracy in Pakistan.
It is pertinent to know that for the first time in Pakistan’s electoral history, that a national government has completed its full five-year term two times (since 2008) uninterrupted.
During the five-year tenure of the National Assembly, a total of 56 sessions have been held since June 1, 2013. Also, 12 joint sessions of the Pakistan Parliament were also held.
A total of six federal Budgets were passed in the National Assembly and a total of 189 Bills and 136 Acts of Parliament were passed in the last five years.