Imran Khan sworn in as Pakistan’s prime minister

Imran Khan has been as sworn in as Pakistan’s new prime minister after his party’s victory in last month’s election tainted by the alleged intervention by the military.

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath at a ceremony in the capital, Islamabad, on Saturday where political and military leaders, former sports stars and diplomats participated.

Khan was elected as the prime minister by parliament on Friday as his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), swept the election, vowing to bring an era of accountability and prosperity to the country.

PTI won the most seats in the July 25 election but fell short of an outright majority. It allied with independents to form a coalition.

In the national assembly, Khan secured 176 votes on Friday, beating Shehbaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who got 96.

READ MORE: Imran Khan, ‘new Pakistan’ and the diaspora dilemma

“In this country, before everything else, we have to make sure there is accountability,” said Khan, in a speech after the vote in parliament.

“Those who have looted this country and indebted it, I promise this today that no one will escape.”

The long-time opposition politician takes the reins of power for the first time in his 22-year political career, having led a strenuous campaign against corruption and government mismanagement since he retired as one of Pakistan’s most popular cricketer in 1992.

The PTI’s election victory was marred by widespread allegations of irregularities in the vote counting process, and opposition parties on Friday decried the results as “unacceptable”.

In his speech, Khan welcomed any investigation into the election results, saying he would support the process. He also committed to empowering parliament, and attending at least twice a month to answer other lawmakers’ questions.

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said Pakistan’s new leader will need to overcome strong opposition in parliament.

“It is going to be a difficult task for Imran when he starts…he’ll have an opposition that will be strong by the looks of it and that may entail problems when it comes to legislation,” our correspondent said.

“He has many challenges on the internal front and the external front (but) Imran Khan is adamant that he will deliver.”

Congratulations, Insafians. We did it. We made Imran Khan the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The ball is in your court now @ImranKhanPTI Do NOT disappoint us. The entire nation has pinned its hopes on you. You MUST deliver! May Allah help and protect you. Ameen!

— Socially Isolated (@Umar_Khan10) August 18, 2018