ISLAMABAD: Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was sworn in as Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan on Monday.
President Dr Arif Alvi administered oath to him at a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza and former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
National Assembly speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali, PTI Senator Shahzad Waseem and PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi were also present.
After taking oath, Kakar met officials of the Pakistan Army and shook hands with them. He has become the eight caretaker prime minister of Pakistan.
Earlier in the day, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani accepted Kakar’s resignation from the upper house of the Parliament.
“Anwaarul Haq Kakar, member Senate of Pakistan, has resigned his seat, as his principled stance of neutrality on becoming the caretaker prime minister, by writing under his hand in person before the Senate chairman,” said a notification issued by Senate Secretariat.
“The honourable Senate chairman has been pleased to accept the resignation and consequently his seat has become vacant in terms of clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with effect from August 14,” it added.
A day earlier, Kakar had announced his resignation from the Senate and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) which he founded in 2018.
According to reports, Kakar stepped down from his post because he wanted to be an impartial interim prime minister and since it was his responsibility to hold free and fair elections.