Pakistan's newly elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has been sworn into office for an unprecedented third term.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath of office to Mr. Sharif at the presidential palace in Islamabad on Wednesday. Government officials, military officers and diplomatic representatives attended the ceremony.
Earlier Wednesday, Pakistan's National Assembly elected Mr. Sharif as prime minister, a vote widely expected after his Pakistan Muslim League won last month's general elections.
In his first speech in parliament, Mr. Sharif said his administration's top priorities include fixing the economy and ending corruption. He also called for an end to U.S. drone strikes that target militants in the tribal areas along the Afghan border.
Pakistan's government objects to the drone strikes, saying they have killed civilians and are an affront to the country's sovereignty.
Mr. Sharif, who is 63, was Pakistan's prime minister from 1990 until 1993, when he was forced to resign because of corruption allegations. He returned to the job in 1997 but was toppled by a military coup two years later.
In Wednesday's election, he received 244 votes in the 342-seat parliament. The vote marked the first transition of power between two democratically elected civilian governments in Pakistan's nearly 66-year history.
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President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath of office to Mr. Sharif at the presidential palace in Islamabad on Wednesday. Government officials, military officers and diplomatic representatives attended the ceremony.
Earlier Wednesday, Pakistan's National Assembly elected Mr. Sharif as prime minister, a vote widely expected after his Pakistan Muslim League won last month's general elections.
In his first speech in parliament, Mr. Sharif said his administration's top priorities include fixing the economy and ending corruption. He also called for an end to U.S. drone strikes that target militants in the tribal areas along the Afghan border.
Pakistan's government objects to the drone strikes, saying they have killed civilians and are an affront to the country's sovereignty.
Mr. Sharif, who is 63, was Pakistan's prime minister from 1990 until 1993, when he was forced to resign because of corruption allegations. He returned to the job in 1997 but was toppled by a military coup two years later.
In Wednesday's election, he received 244 votes in the 342-seat parliament. The vote marked the first transition of power between two democratically elected civilian governments in Pakistan's nearly 66-year history.
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