Incumbent Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf took oath as a civilian president at a ceremony in Islamabad Thursday, one day after he gave up the post of army chief.

 

Musharraf took the seat at the center of a hall along with Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar at the ceremony at the Aiwan-e- Sadr, or presidential house, which witnessed a gathering of hundreds of VIPs.

 

"I believe in the unity of Pakistan and ... all the teachings of the Holy Koran," Musharraf said as the chief justice, sitting in front of ceremonial guards and between national flags, administered the oath.

 

The 64-year-old retired general also delivered his first speech as a civilian president shortly after signing the oath papers, saying that the last two or three days had been emotional for him.

 

"I have given up my military post after 46 years in uniform," he said, referring to his resignation as chief of army staff the previous day.

 

Musharraf joined the Pakistan Military Academy in 1961 at the age of 18 and rose through military ranks to major general in 1991. He became the chief of army staff in 1998, thus taking over the command of the army.

 

Musharraf staged a bloodless coup that displaced the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and took the reins of the country as chief executive in October 1999. He first assumed presidency in 2001, which was later confirmed in a 2002 referendum that give him a five-year term.

 

Musharraf was re-elected in presidential polls on Oct. 6 this year and, as he had previously pledged, resigned as army chief and handed over the military command to succeeding army chief General Ashafaq Parvez Kayani.

 

"I believe Pakistan will grow stronger with me as a civilian president and General Kayani as the chief of army staff," Musharraf said Thursday.

 

The officially retired general said he was breaking the convention in pushing for Pakistan's transition from military to civilian presidency.

 

"My taking oath as civilian president is a milestone in the transition to democracy," he told the gathering at the ceremony that included caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro and his cabinet, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, services chiefs, province governors and caretaker chief ministers, judges, diplomats, religious personalities and officials.

 

Musharraf said Pakistan, under a state of emergency since Nov. 3, was "coming out of the storm" and that "the process of derailment of democracy has been checked." He also noted economic turnaround of the country in recent years.

 

He further said the return of the exiled opposition leaders and former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto was good for political reconciliation in Pakistan, while making it clear that elections were to be held as scheduled despite any boycott.

 

The opposition, including Bhutto's and Sharif's parties, were still considering the option of boycotting the general elections, although they have both allowed party members follow them to file nomination papers.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2007)