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              Pakistan Marks First Peaceful Democratic Transition

   by Ayaz Gul

   Newly elected members of Pakistan's National Assembly, the lower house
   of Parliament, were sworn in Saturday marking the first transition of
   power from one democratically elected government to another in the
   66-year history of the country.

   Security was tight around the parliament building for the ceremonial
   inaugural session of the newly elected legislature. Outgoing National
   Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza solemnly administered the oath to
   incoming lawmakers.

   The political party of two-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
   dominates the new parliament, after a resounding victory in national
   elections May 11. The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) captured 176 of
   the 342 seats in the lower house of parliament, overwhelming the
   Pakistan Peoples Party, the previous coalition leader, which won only
   39 seats.

   The election victory set the stage for 63-year-old Sharif to become the
   country's chief executive for an unprecedented third time on Wednesday,
   when the National Assembly will formally elect a new prime minister.

   Politicians and independent observers are praising the peaceful
   transition of power as a big step forward in strengthening democracy in
   Pakistan. New parliament member Khurram Dastagir Khan of Sharif's
   political party was exuberant.

   "The future of democracy today, when a new parliament has taken oath,
   is looking bright `inshallah' (God willing), and will become brighter
   when an elected government will `inshallah' start delivering to the
   people."

   Even members of the outgoing coalition government acknowledge that
   their five-year hold on power resulted in little progress on the issues
   facing ordinary Pakistanis, like power shortages, inflation and
   unemployment.

   Newly elected legislator Farooq Sattar, a member of the regional
   political party known as MQM, the Muttahida Quami Movement that was
   part of the previous coalition, stressed that people needed to be
   empowered.

   "The transfer of power from one democratic [institution] to the
   other... is good. But I think unless we connect the democracy with the
   people - empower the people at the grass-root [level] - I think only
   then democracy will become strong, stable and sustainable."

   Among the major challenges incoming Prime Minister Sharif will face are
   a badly ailing national economy, rampant corruption, massive energy
   shortages, a Taliban-led deadly militancy and Pakistan's strained
   relations with the United States. After being sworn in Saturday, Sharif
   told reporters his party is ready to deal with the challenges.

   Pakistan's powerful military has controlled the country - either by
   directly seizing power or by exercising influence from behind the
   scenes - for nearly half of its history as an independent nation. Coups
   and other interventions derailed democracy on a number of occasions,
   such as in October 1999, when a military takeover ousted Nawaz Sharif
   during his second term as prime minister. The leader of that coup, army
   chief Pervez Musharraf, went on to rule Pakistan for nearly a decade.

   A majority of Pakistanis now hope that democratic practice will become
   the norm, discouraging future military interventions and ultimately
   leading to more government accountability.

   Former cricket star Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party
   won 35 seats, has vowed to act as a strong opposition and press the new
   government to deliver on its election promises. Khan did not attend
   Saturday's swearing-in session of the parliament as he is still
   recovering after falling off a forklift in the last few days of the
   election campaign.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-marks-first-peaceful-democratic-transition/1673338.html