Facing an intense resurgence by Taliban and global pressure to crackdown on corruption, Hamid Karzai was on Thursday sworn in as the Afghan President for a second five-year term and vowed to form a national unity government following a controversial poll marred by allegations of fraud.

Fifty-one-year-old Karzai was administered oath of office by the head of the Supreme Court, Abdul Salam Azmi, at a grand ceremony at the heavily-fortified Presidential Palace in the presence of 800 guests, including External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.