ISLAMABAD, March 16: The new Chief Election Commissioner, Justice (rtd) Qazi Mohammad Farooq, has said that holding free, fair and transparent elections is his prime responsibility.

“I will make it sure that the general elections are held in such a way that it becomes precedence for others to follow,” he told journalists after taking oath as the CEC here on Thursday.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry administered the oath. Justice Farooq who was appointed CEC on Wednesday for a three-year term, said that holding free and fair elections was not only a national duty but also an international demand.

“It is my job to discharge the responsibility with the best of my abilities and in a suitable manner because I am not only answerable before the people of this country but also before Allah Almighty,” he said.

About opposition’s reservations on his appointment, he said everybody had the right to criticise him, but hastened to add that there was no reason for those who knew him to doubt his integrity.

About reforms in the election process, he said elections were a continuous process and any impediment would be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution.

Justice Farooq remained a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from February 4, 2000 to December 30, 2003.

He served as Provincial Election Commissioner of the NWFP from 1982 to 1988. He was appointed the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court in 1999.

The new CEC had attended the first advance course in Shariah in the Islamic University of Madina Munawwara and participated in the International Visitor Programme on Administration of Courts in the United States.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister Sharifuddin Pirzada and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Muhammad Qayyum Malik.

Meanwhile, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, who supervised the local bodies elections and the Senate elections of 2006 as acting Chief Election Commissioner, has said that he felt very relieved.

It was an honour, he said, to serve as acting Chief Election Commissioner thrice. Talking to reporters, he said the job was very tedious and it demanded continuous attention and hard work.