Imran Khan takes oath as Pakistan PM, but not without a fumble
NEW DELHI: Imran Khan fumbled a few times as he was being sworn-in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday.
A spectacle-wearing Khan said “roz-e-qayadat” (the day of leadership), instead of “roz-e-qayamat” (the day of judgement), as he was administered the oath of office in Urdu by president Mamnoon Hussain, prompting a correction by the president. Khan smiled as he repeated the correct word.
The first part of the oath requires to swear being a Muslim, and believing unity and oneness of Allah, the books of Allah of which the Quran is the last, the prophethood of Muhammad as the last of the prophets, the day of judgement, and all the requirements and teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.
Khan, who also seemed to face difficulty in pronouncing some Urdu words in the oath, also arrived late at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (President’s House here) for the swearing-in which was scheduled for 10 am (Pakistan Standard Time), according to Pakistani media channels.
Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was seated in the front row along with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) vice president and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak, was flanked by president of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Masood Khan.
#WATCH Islamabad: Imran Khan fumbles during his oath taking speech pic.twitter.com/cPsgsjwgnD
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2018
Sidhu, a Punjab minister who was the only of three Indian cricketers to attend the oath-taking ceremony (Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev had declined), was also seen meeting and embracing Pakistan army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Khan’s third wife, Bushra Maneka, clad in a head-to-heels burkha, was also sitting in the front row.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
