Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf took over the office of President of Pakistan on June 20th, 2001 under the Provincial Constitutional order (PCO). He immediately dissolved the senate, national and provincial assemblies and sacked the chairman of the senate and speaker of the national assembly. President Musharraf however continued to hold the offices of the Chief Executive, Chief of the Army Staff, and Chiefs of the Staff Committee. General Musharraf took over the office by removing Rafiq Tarar who was due to complete his five –year tenure early next year. The General was sworn in by an oath taking ceremony held at the Darbar Hall of the President house in Islamabad. Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan administered the oath to the new President, who took more than 600 days to assume power since the army seized power in October 1999.Cabnit members, senior civil and military officers, diplomats, some family members attended the oath taking ceremony.

General Pervez Musharraf issued the Chief Executive Order No.3 under which the Chief Executive was to hold office as President until his successors entered upon the office. President Pervez Musharraf however promised to hold parliamentary elections as mandated by the Supreme Court in 2002. The Chief Executive also issued an Order called the President’s Succession Order 2001, which was to have effect with standing any thing in the constitution or any other law. It clearly defined as to who was to be the President, and in case of his absence from Pakistan or any other cause, was unable to perform his functions, the Chief Justice of Pakistan or, if the chief Justice of Pakistan was also absent from Pakistan, the most senior Judge of the Supreme Court was to perform the functions of President until the President returns to Pakistan or resumes his functions.

President Musharraf after assuming the new office announced, “The change will augur well for the future of Pakistan”. In a speech at the swearing -in-ceremony he said: “I think I have a role to play; I have a job to do here; I cannot and will not let this nation down.” He gave three reasons for taking over as the President of Pakistan: constitutional, political, and economic considerations.