ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi received a ceremonial farewell with a guard of honor at Aiwan-e-Sadr as his constitutional term concluded on Friday.
Accompanied to the salute dais, the president, following the national anthem, inspected the guard of honor, impeccably presented by contingents of the armed forces.
Alvi, the 13th president of Pakistan, assumed office on September 9, 2018, succeeding Mamnoon Hussain, after his election victory under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Throughout his five-year tenure, Arif Alvi navigated two contrasting government regimes with diplomatic finesse.
Post the ousting of Khan via a no-confidence vote in April 2022, Alvi exhibited proactive engagement, posing challenges to the Sharif government.
His assertiveness was evident from day one when he declined to administer the oath to Shehbaz Sharif.
In a recent controversy, he disclaimed signing legislation last year, comprising the Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023, which nonetheless became law.
Alvi consistently voiced opposition against the barrage of cases filed against the incarcerated former prime minister following his removal from office.
Arif Alvi’s political journey as a close confidant of Imran Khan traces back to the 1997 general elections when he contested unsuccessfully for the Provincial Assembly of Sindh under the PTI banner.
Despite setbacks, he remained steadfast, contesting again in 2002 and later securing a National Assembly seat in 2013 from Karachi. He served as the PTI secretary-general from 2006 to 2013 and later assumed the presidency of PTI’s Sindh chapter.
Re-elected to the National Assembly in 2018, Alvi has been a prominent figure in Pakistan’s political landscape, bridging political transitions and advocating for his party’s agenda.
The forthcoming election for the new president, scheduled for Saturday, witnesses Asif Ali Zardari, backed by PPP, PML-N, MQM-P, and the Sunni Ittehad Council, alongside Mahmood Khan Achakzai, as contenders for the vacant office.
Asif Ali Zardari, with a majority in all assemblies and the Senate, is poised to clinch the presidency for the second time.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
