ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said on Monday that he will be taking oath as prime minister of Pakistan on August 11, reported Radio Pakistan.
The party was asked to form a government in the center after it won the most number of seats in the July 25 general elections. PTI also won a two-thirds majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and emerged as a strong runner-up in Punjab.
The PTI chief is currently actively engaged in forging alliances to form a coalition government in the center, Punjab, and Balochistan.
Talking to the newly elected members of KP Assembly, the prime minister-in-waiting said his nominated choice for the position of chief minister KP would be a “decision taken in the best interest of the people.”
He added that alleviation of poverty from interior Sindh is a top priority for the PTI government.
On Sunday, while speaking to the media outside Khan’s Bani Gala residence, PTI leader Naeemul Haq confirmed the PTI chief would be taking oath as prime minister before Aug. 14.
He also said that a possible venue for the oath-taking ceremony could be D-Chowk — a very important junction in Islamabad, leading up to the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s House, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and the Parliament.
“Imran Khan would prefer a people’s ceremony of oath-taking where thousands can watch him take oath as prime minister of Pakistan.”
In August 2014, to protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, the PTI started a long march ending with a sit-in at D-Chowk. After reaching Islamabad, the protesters insisted on staying at D-Chowk until their demands were met. The sit-in lasted for 126 days.
“Perhaps the D-Chowk area may be the right place to do it (the oath-taking ceremony). Let’s hope so. Will keep on updating on this,” Haq reiterated in a statement released on social media.
All mainstream political parties have also agreed to attend the oath-taking ceremony, which is perceived as a “positive step,” said Haq.
According to the official results issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the PTI has emerged as the single largest political party in the National Assembly with 116 members.
“Imran Khan (is) working day and night to create the best possible team to run the country under a PTI government. The challenges of the economy, foreign policy, development, poverty, inflation (and) environment must be met and resolved on a priority basis. Inshallah the PTI govt will do it,” Haq said in his statement on social media.
Imran Khan to take oath as prime minister on August 11
Imran Khan to take oath as prime minister on August 11
- The prime minister designate may take oath in a “people’s ceremony” where thousands can watch him, hinted his party spokesperson, with a famous square in Islamabad as the possible venue
- The PTI chief is actively engaged these days forging alliances in an effort to form a coalition government in most parts of Pakistan
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
