Musharraf swears in prime minister

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf swore in Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani today.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf swore in Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani today.

Mr Gilani's appointment came a day after parliament elected Mr Gillani, the top official from assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.

In an apparent snub to the increasingly isolated Mr Musharraf, Ms Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, and their son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who together lead her party, declined to attend the ceremony.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party came second to the PPP in the election, also declined to attend.

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Mr Sharif, the prime minister then army chief Mr Musharraf ousted in a 1999 coup, is joining a coalition led by the PPP with at least two smaller parties.

Mr Musharraf's popularity has largely evaporated over the past year and his political allies were soundly beaten in February 18th elections won by Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.