Gilani begins his term on a promising note

The prime ministerial oath has been taken and a solemn promise to serve the nation has been made. With these ceremonial props serving as a backdrop, Pakistan and the world now sit back and scrutinise the manoeuvrings of newly elected Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Will he make the cut, or will his term be cut short to accommodate someone else's aspiration?

Known as a Bhutto loyalist Gilani is, however, extensively revered as being his own man: a man of principle and more importantly, for the sake of Pakistan, a team player who is devoted to the cause of democracy and all the gifts that it can bring to this strife-torn nation.

His friends and foes are aware of these characteristics for they are descriptions which find favour with the people of Pakistan.

This explains why his order for the release of the judges put into detention by President Pervez Musharraf, including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was not met with resistance even though the directives were given before Gilani was sworn in as prime minister.

By doing so, the gauntlet for a possible confrontation with Musharraf had been thrown but Pakistan's president has, wisely, not taken it up yet.

And he would be wise not to do so, especially since Gilani is the popular choice of a coalition of five parties with contrasting philosophies, ranging from self-proclaimed social democrats, fundamentalists, nationalists and a group of humiliated lawyers who cannot wait to resume office and overturn the results of the presidential elections held last October.

Even though he has yet to determine a policy statement, Gilani has made all the appropriate initial sound bytes. Battling economic crisis and strengthening the parliament and judiciary are some of them. The probationary period has thus begun positively.