Pervez Musharraf was sworn in as the civilian president of Pakistan on Thursday morning, becoming in the process his country's first army chief to occupy the office. The presidential oath was administered by Pakistan's Chief Justice Abdhul Hammed Dogar.

Interestingly, Musharraf took the oath of office under the Pakistani constitution and not under emergency regulations.

Soon after the ceremony Musharraf said he was "moved and touched" by the presence of people from all walks of life at the swearing-in ceremony. "I enjoyed every moment of my command (of the army)," he said, and described the Pakistani Army as the "greatest army of the world".

Parliamentary elections will be held on schedule on January 8, he said, despite the threat of boycott.

Musharraf had resigned from the post of army chief on Wednesday, making way for his confidant, Gen Ashfaq Kiyani.

Pakistan Peoples Party president Benazir Bhutto described Musharraf's swearing-in as a turning point for Pakistan.