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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf took oath for a five-year term as a civilian president Thursday, one day after he relinquished the post of army chief, a post he kept for over nine years.

Musharraf came to power by the title of chief executive in a bloodless coup in Oct. 1999 that displaced the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and installed Musharraf, who has been chief of army staff since 1998.

Musharraf was known in Pakistan as President General Musharraf in recent years, a title showing the unseparable side of him as an army man.

He impressed the public as an intelligent man capable of an approach unique and ideal in solving difficult problems, keeping cool under all circumstances and mindful of long-term effects of contemplated actions.

“The attitude has been forthright and candid with the result that all actions have always met with success,” an author by the name of Masood Ahmad wrote recently in the local newspaper The Nation.

Musharraf was born on Aug. 11, 1943 in old Delhi of India. His family moved to live in Pakistan after the partition of India and Pakistan. He joined the Pakistan Military Academy in 1961 at the age of 18 and was commissioned an artillery officer in 1964.

He was awarded a medal for bravery in fighting against India in1965 and also participated in the 1971 war against India as a company commander.

He also trained at the British Royal College of Defense Studies. His performance report says: “a capable, articulate and extremely personable officer, who made a most valuable impact here. His country is fortunate to have the services of a man of his undeniable quality.”

The man has used his intelligence to overcome relatively humble roots and rise through military ranks to major general in 1991, to lieutenant general in 1995 and, later, to general on Oct. 7, 1998,when he was appointed chief of army staff, a post he kept for over nine years.

Musharraf first became president in 2001 and his presidency was confirmed in a referendum in 2002, giving him a five-year term.

He had recently been maneuvering for a transition in Pakistan from military to civilian presidency. Winning presidential polls with a majority on Oct. 6, Musharraf relinquished his post as army chief on Nov. 28.

The move was welcomed by the general public as well as opposition leaders and described as an “extraordinary development” by local media.

Musharraf took oath as a civilian president for a five-year term on Nov. 29. A move, he said, was a milestone in Pakistan’s transition to democracy.

A business man in the southern city of Karachi said, “now everything is clear. He is the genius that is required to control Pakistan.”

Musharraf is married, with two children Ayla and Bilal, each of whom has two children. He is fond of old songs and likes to swim and play tennis.

Amid criticism at home and abroad over alleged corruption in Afghanistan, president Hamid karzai on Saturday presented the much-awaited list of ministerial nominees to Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament for approval to form a new cabinet.

Of the 23 nominees, 16 are old faces, either sitting or former ministers. Some of them have been accused of involvement in corruption and some other problems, according to local media reports.

“If we have the same cabinet the future will not be different than today,” parliamentarian Ramazan Bashardost said while referring to the personalities of the new ministerial designates.

Meantime, some others believed that the list of nominees has been prepared under pressure. However, a spokesman of Presidential Palace, Siamak Heravi rejected the notion, saying the president giving priority to the national interest and has picked up the personalities in accordance with the interests and the will of Afghan people.

While presenting the list of the nominees, Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim told the parliament that those ministers with good reputation and good achievements. So that they should be remained.

In the new cabinet the serving Defense, Interior, Finance and few more ministers would remain in their offices.

The ministers’ name was supposed to be presented to parliament within two weeks after President Hamid karzai’s inauguration ceremony for the second five-year term on Nov. 19.

The international community, particularly the United States and Britain have been asking President karzai to bring reform and eradicate corruption in the new administration. Otherwise the donors would withhold their supports to Afghanistan.

Afghan administration’s popularity has been eroded mostly due to failure to improve security and crack down on the alleged corrupt officials.

Some western leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama in their congratulatory messages to President Karzai over his re-election urged him to eradicate corruption.

Common Afghans also said that the re-instating old faces in the new cabinet would not bring a great change to the life of the country’s ordinary people.

“These faces have failed to bring a change in our life over the past eight years; and so, their remaining in office would not change our life in the next five years particularly in the face of reduction to world community’s contribution,” an ordinary Afghan citizen Farooq Shah guessed.

A women right activist Ms. Saraya Parlika also expressed her pessimism and said that in the new cabinet only one lady represents women segment which makes half of the country’s population.

She opined that overlooking women would damage democracy and even slow down the process of democratization in the country.

“Unfortunately, little change is seen in the new cabinet and so, it is unnecessary to pine hope to those officials who have lost golden opportunities over the past eight years to rebuild the war-shuttered country,” parliamentarian Syed Mohammad Gulabzoi said.

The Lower House would review the profiles of the nominees and give vote of confidence to cabinet members within few days. However, eradicating corruption and showing ability in brining good governance would remain a challenge ahead of the new administration, analysts here said.

A petition has been filed against Pakistan’s Supreme Court’s decision of reopening the cases filed against President Asif Ali Zardari in Swiss courts, local TV channels reported Saturday.

Barrister Zafarullah, a lawyer who filed the petition in Lahore registry of Supreme Court, stated that Supreme Court has no right to order reopening of cases within or outside the country against President Zardari because article 248 of Constitution provided indemnity to President of Pakistan like other countries, the private TV Dawn News reported.

Barrister Zafarullah said Supreme Court’s decision of reopening foreign cases is unconstitutional and beyond jurisdiction. Therefore, Supreme Court should review its decision of reopening cases and declare the orders issued in this connection as void.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court nullified on Wednesday the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that had given Zardari and thousands of other government officials amnesty from prosecution on corruption charges, a decision that could reopen charges against Zardari.

The Supreme Court also ordered the Pakistani government to inform Swiss authorities that a case against Zardari there may be reopened. Swiss judicial authorities said in Aug. 2008 that they had closed a money-laundering case against Zardari and had released 60 million U.S. dollars frozen in Swiss accounts for a decade.

According to local channel reports, Swiss justice ministry said that there is no case against Zardari in Switzerland unless the Pakistani government initiate inquiry.

The NRO, which was issued by the former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf on Oct. 5, 2007 as part of a political deal to allow Benazir Bhutto to return from years of exile to Pakistan, was challenged in the Supreme Court and a 17-member bench of the apex court in a unanimous short verdict cancelled the NRO and described as contrary to the constitution.

Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the article 248 of the Constitution regarding the immunity given to the President in cases, local channel Geo News reported Saturday.

The petitioner Khalid Khawja, an officer of Defense of Human Rights Commission, said in his plea that the article stands in contradiction with the human rights and the Islamic injunctions, accordingly, it should be quashed.

The Supreme Court has constituted a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry to hear appeals in NRO cases from Dec. 21.