English
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has decided not to invite any foreign dignitaries, including some of India’s greatest cricketers, to his oath-taking ceremony at country’s prime minister set to be held on August 11.
Earlier, it was reported that PTI had invited Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Navjot Singh Sidhu to his oath-taking ceremony but now those plans have been shelved as Imran had ultimately decided on a “simple ceremony” that would include just a few of his close friends.
“The PTI chairman has directed to stage the oath-taking event with austerity,” PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry was quoted as saying by The Dawn.
“He will take his oath in a simple ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr(President House). It has been decided that no foreign personalities will be invited to the ceremony — it will be a completely national event. Only a few close friends of Imran Khan will be invited. There will be no show of extravagance at the event,” added Chaudhry.
Dawn, a leading Pakistan daily, had earlier reported that PTI leaders met Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua to discuss which foreign dignitaries could be invited to the PTI chief’s ceremony. “We are awaiting the response of the Foreign Office,” the PTI spokesperson had said.
It had also reported that PTI wished to invite the heads of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) member states including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as China and Turkey but the party rubbished the reports. According to Dawn, members of the Pakistan Foreign Office said that calling foreign leaders to the oath-taking was “a sensitive matter” and all perspectives needed to be taken into consideration.
The PTI, led by 65-year-old Khan, has emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly after the July 25 elections, but it is still short of numbers to form the government on its own.
Imran’s decision to invite former Indian cricketers who were among the biggest rivals of his career appeared to be, prima facie, an extension of the agreeable tone he struck towards India in his unofficial acceptance speech following the elections.
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