ISLAMABAD, Aug. 1 -- Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was sworn in as Pakistani 28th Prime Minister Tuesday evening shortly after the parliament elected him with a clear majority.
Abbasi was elected as prime minister four days after the Supreme Court ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over corruption charges. He belongs to Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
The newly elected prime minister criticized the Supreme Court's verdict which disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Friday in a speech delivered to the country's lower house National Assembly after he won the prime minister election.
He said that Nawaz Sharif has never been involved in corruption and he would be re-elected as the country's prime minister in the future.
Regarding the country's economy, he said one of the top agenda in his mind is to promote the country's tax culture.
"The perception here is that paying taxes is optional. If my cabinet approves, I will set my sights on non-taxpayers, and we shall catch the people whose lavish living style does not match to the amount of tax they pay," he told the parliamentarians at the lower house.
He pledged to solve the country's loading-shedding issue after November this year. He said an additional 10,000 megawatts of electricity are being added to the national grid.
He promised to continue to facilitate investment and the ongoing development projects in the country.
He also promised better treatment and welfare for the country's farmers as he believed that agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan.
Talking about the country's security issue, he said that his government will stop civilians from holding automatic weapons. All the licensed automatic weapons held by civilians should be taken back by the government and the government should compensate them for this, he said.
In terms of social life, he stressed the importance of quality education in the society and called from improvement in the education field.