Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro, has taken oath as caretaker prime minister of Pakistan. Soomro is charged with organising January’s legislative elections. The other 24 members of the transition government were also sworn in during the same ceremony.
The 57 year old former banker is a member of the Pakistan-Q Muslim League, and is a close ally of president Musharraf. After nominating Soomro, general Musharraf amended the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) transferring the power of lifting the emergency, imposed by him November 3rd, to the office of president. According to Attorney General Malik Qayyum, “With this amendment, the president can also revoke the state of emergency”.
Many analysts say that in reality this move reflects this desire to govern even when he will be forced to renounce his position as chief of army staff. Moreover some independent dailies have headlined with “Musharraf transfers power from himself to himself”.
In the interim former premier Benazir Bhutto, kept under house arrest for over a week has been freed. Along with the exiled political leader Nawaz Sharif, Bhutto criticised the generals’ move and demanded “the end of the military dictatorship”.