Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent | The Australian, April 2, 2008
PO-FACED Pakistani cabinet ministers wearing black protest armbands have been sworn into office by a "deeply offended" Pervez Musharraf at a ceremony in Islamabad that underlined the hostility between the President and Pakistan's new democratic Government.
The oath-taking ceremony was almost cancelled at the last minute when a "huffing and puffing" Mr Musharraf learned of the black-armband protest against him.
Several of the 24 ministers from the country's new coalition sworn in yesterday served time in jail during the eight-year Musharraf dictatorship and regard him as a "usurper" who is illegally occupying the position of President.
The ceremony yesterday lasted barely seven minutes. Mr Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, sitting together, barely spoke or acknowledged each other.
The official Pakistan television service, PTV, screened a delayed broadcast, apparently allowing time to edit video of the ceremony.
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