Chief Justice Riaz Sheikh administered the oath to the new President during ceremonies that took place at the Aiwan e Sadr before ministers, ambassadors, military top brass and Mr. Mosharraf's wife and mother, in defiance of tradition under which a president, elected by MPs and senators, is sworn in front of the national assembly.

It was Mr. Mosharraf’s second oath as president as earlier he had taken the oath in July 2001 before embarking on a visit to India.

The inaugural session of the National Assembly began today with the recitation from the Holy Qor’an. Former parliamentary Speaker Elahi Bux Soomro administered an oath under the constitution, which was partially restored in amended form late Friday, to 334 legislators elected on October 10 to the 342-seat national assembly.

But more than a month has passed since the announcement of the parliamentary elections results in Pakistan, the winner parties have still not managed to establish a coalition cabinet.

Immediately after taking oath, General Mosharraf chaired the joint National Security Council-cabinet meeting, expressing satisfaction that his government was concluding its three-year tenure, pulling a "rudderless ship out of the storm and set it on full sail".

He said his government introduced "merit and transparency in governance" and succeeded in running a corruption-free administration. Mosharraf said he and his colleagues take pride in the fact that after more than two decades of stagnation they have brought the country to a "take-off stage".

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto condemned General Mosharraf taking oath as president, stating that the oath taken by him as president for any five years was against the provisions of the Constitution and norms of morality which the Party condemns.

"Some thirty five years ago the general took oath as a commissioned officer of the Pakistan Army to uphold and protect the Constitution. "In 1999 violating his oath General Mosharraf, as Army chief suspended that very Constitution which he had sworn to protect and uphold. He also gave his own Constitution called the Provisional Constitution Order," the PPP spokesman said in a statement.

Mr. Mosharraf assured the nation that he would not let Pakistan suffering "further disruption and misgovernance" and confirmed that it was with that objective alone that he has been emphasising the need for continuity of reforms that were introduced and the completion of many development projects that have been initiated in the last three years.

"Three years ago, said the president, he put together a group of professionals in the Cabinet, who were then strangers for each other. He said they soon welded together into a team and were now parting as friends and comrades who brought strength and pride back to Pakistan".

"If Pakistan followed the course and employed right tactics to implement the strategy that has been crafted after much deliberations and with great care, rich dividends would soon be available", he said.

Around 40 lawyers and politicians demonstrated in front of parliament house today as new legislators arrived for the first session in three years. The protestors waved placards rejecting controversial amendments introduced by President Mosharraf in August via the Legal Framework Order (LFO).

"We will continue our fight for democracy in this country and we will fight for the supremacy of Parliament and parliamentarians", said Hafiz Hoseyn Ahmad, leader of the Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). "The LFO has no legal basis or status", said Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, parliamentary leader of Nawaz Sharif's party. The president of Rawalpindi's High Court Bar Association Muhammad Ikram Chaudry said the lawyers were protesting against Mosharraf's domination of Pakista

However, the Supreme Court had refused to comment whether the election of president through referendum was valid or not by observing: "We cannot anticipate the course of future events".

Talking to newspersons in the lobby of the assembly chamber, he said his party desires to form consensus government with the inclusion of big parties, despite the support of smaller ones. The reason behind is that it wishes a strong and stable government to complete its five-year term. However, he said, the majority of electorate are with the Muslim League and they want to see the League government at the Centre and the provinces.

According to official count, out of the 272 seats, the Pakistan Muslim league, Quaid-e-Azam branch that supports General Mosharraf, won 77 of the 272 contested constituency seats, the Pakistan People's Party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto came in second with 63 seats, while the religious Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six religious parties won 45, and the Pakistan Muslim Leage (N), aligned with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, won 14 seats and another sixty seat are also reserved for women and 10 for minorities.