Arif Alvi was sworn in as the 13th president of Pakistan at a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad on Sunday, a day after outgoing president Mamnoon Hussain’s five-year term ended.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar administered the oath to Alvi, who is a dental surgeon by profession.
Top civil and military leadership, including members of the federal cabinet, the three services chiefs, parliamentarians, justices of the Supreme Court, diplomats and other well-known personalities and foreign officials were in attendance at the ceremony.
Alvi, a senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader, was elected to the National Assembly from Karachi’s NA-247 constituency during the July 25 polls. As per the Constitution, Alvi’s election has been nullified after his taking oath as president since an elected member of Parliament cannot hold the office of head of state.
Contesting for the post of president against PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan and JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman, Alvi won the election with 352 electoral votes ─ 44 more than his two rivals could collectively obtain.