Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said no foreign dignitary will be invited to Prime Minister-designate Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony on August 11, Dawn reported.
Khan’s party emerged the single-largest in national elections held on July 25. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won 115 seats and is set to form the government with the support of allies and independent candidates.
“The PTI chairman has directed to stage the oath-taking event with austerity,” Chaudhry said, adding that Khan will be sworn in during a simple ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr – the President House.
“It has been decided that no foreign personalities will be invited to the ceremony – it will be a completely national event,” Chaudhry told Dawn. “Only a few close friends of Imran Khan will be invited. There will be no show of extravagance at the event.”
The party had initially planned to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the Foreign Office allegedly said it will be an embarrassment for Pakistan if Modi declined the invitation. Chaudhry had earlier confirmed that Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and cricketers Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavasker and Navjot Singh Sidhu had been invited for the oath-taking ceremony.
Aamir Khan, however, said that he was not invited for the swearing-in ceremony, reported News 18.
The party also earlier wanted to invite the heads of countries that are members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, as well as leaders of China and Turkey.
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