Clad in a black traditional sherwani, Gillani, the country's 25th prime minister and the first premier from the Pakistan People's Party who is not a member of the Bhutto family, was administered the oath by Musharraf in the central hall of the Aiwan-e-Sadr or presidency in Islamabad.

PPP leaders shouted Jiay Bhutto (Long live Bhutto) as the oath was completed.

Gillani, 55, was on Monday elected the prime minister by a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly or Lower House of Parliament.

PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif, the two key leaders of the parties that have formed Pakistan's new coalition government, did not attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Zaradri's teenaged son Bilawal, who was named PPP chairman after Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a pre-poll rally in December, too was conspicuous by his absence.

Musharraf shook hands with Gillani and spoke to him briefly before joining the guests.

The event was attended by outgoing Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, members of interim government, the governors and caretaker chief ministers of the four provinces, Speaker Fehmida Mirza, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, chiefs of three services, Muttahida Quami Movement leaders Farooq Sattar and Hyder Abbas Rizvi and PPP leaders Babar Awan, Jehangir Badar and Latif Khosa.

Former chief justice Ifthikar Mohammad Chaudhry was on Monday night freed from house arrest minutes after newly elected Prime Minister Gillani ordered that all judges sacked by Musharraf be immediately released.

Barbed wire barricades were cut and concrete barriers were removed from around the residence of Chaudhry in the Judges Colony in Islamabad.

Image: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf administers oath of office to newly elected Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani on Tuesday.
Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images Also Read: Meet Pakistan's new Prime Minister
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