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Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi (Arif Alvi )
Arifur Rehman Alvi is a Pakistani politician who served as the 13th President of Pakistan from 9 September 2018 to 10 March 2024. He was previously a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2018 and again from August to September 2018. Alvi’s professional career began in dentistry, and 1979, he entered politics. He first joined Jamaat-e-Islami (Pakistan) but later resigned to join Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996. He is among the founding members of PTI.
In March 2021, Alavi tested positive for the virus shortly after receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It was later confirmed that he had been given the isoform vaccine. In January 2022, while the omicron variant was spreading, he contracted COVID-19 again.
Arif Alvi was elected Member of the National Assembly from NA-250 Karachi-XII in 2013 and re-elected from NA-247 (Karachi South-II) in the 2018 general elections. Later, he was nominated as the presidential candidate by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. He defeated Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Aitzaz Ahsan assumed the office of the 13th President of Pakistan and was sworn in on 9 September 2018. In the 2018 elections, Arif Alvi secured 91,020 votes and defeated Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan candidate Syed Zaman Ali Jafari.
Karachi
| Arif Alvi | |
| Name | Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi |
| Urdu | عارف الرحمن علوی |
| Date of Birth | July 29, 1949 |
| Birth Place | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Education |
|
| Profession | Politician, Dentist |
| Political Party | PTI (1996–present) |
| Presidential Term | September 9, 2018 – March 10, 2024 |
| Other Affiliations | Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan |
| Date Affiliations | 1979–1988 |
| Spouse | Samina Alvi |
| Spouse | 4 |
Personal life
Arif Alvi’s father, Habib-ur-Rehman Elahi Alvi, was a famous dentist in Delhi, British India. After the creation of Pakistan, his family migrated to Karachi, where his father opened his dental clinic in Saddar Town. Habib-ur-Rehman became politically associated with Jamaat-e-Islami. According to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf website, Arif Alvi’s father was also the dentist of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Arif Alvi received his early education in Karachi but was expelled from Karachi Grammar School due to his father’s campaign against compulsory Bible classes. Later, he moved to Lahore in 1967 to study dentistry and obtained a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from De Montmorency College of Dentistry. In 1975, he completed a master’s degree in prosthodontics from the University of Michigan, and in 1984, a master’s degree in orthodontics from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco. After returning to Pakistan, Alvi practiced dentistry in Karachi and established “Alvi Dental Hospital,” a renowned dental clinic. Arif Alvi is married to Samina Alvi, and they have four married children.
In March 2021, Arif Alvi tested positive for the virus after taking the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It was later confirmed that he had been given the isoform vaccine. In January 2022, Alavi contracted the coronavirus again when the Omicron variant was spreading.
Professional Career
Arif Alvi played a prominent role in dentistry for many important organizations. In 1981, he served as the Chairman of the first Pakistan International Dental Conference. Later, in 1987, he became the Chairman of the Third Pakistan International Dental Conference and later served as the Patron of the Fifth Pakistan International Dental Conference.
In 1997, Alavi became a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He drafted the constitution of the Pakistan Dental Association and served as the organization’s president; the 28th Asia-Pacific Dental Congress was organized.
Arif Alvi also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Orthodontics, College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. In 2006, he was elected President of the Asia-Pacific Dental Federation, and in 2007, he was elected Councilor of the FDI World Dental Federation, bringing his professional services to global recognition.
Political Career
Arif Alvi started his political journey as a polling agent and became associated with the Jamiat-e-Islami (Pakistan) student wing, Islami Jamiat Talaba. While studying at De Montmorency College of Dentistry, he became the student union president and was shot twice while participating in a protest against Ayub Khan. According to him, one bullet is still in his body.
Alavis became more politically active after the 1977 Pakistani general elections and contested for a seat in the Sindh Provincial Assembly as a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in 1979, but failed. In 1988, he left Jamaat-e-Islami because he was disillusioned with the party’s narrow political thinking.
In 1996, he joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) under the leadership of Imran Khan and became one of the founding members of the party. Arif Alvi played an important role in drafting the constitution of PTI and later became the president of the PTI Sindh chapter in 1997.
Alvi contested the 1997 and 2002 general elections but failed both times. However, 2006 he was elected PTI’s General Secretary and served until 2013.
In the 2013 general elections, Arif Alvi was elected to the National Assembly from the NA-250 constituency in Karachi, where he won by securing 77,659 votes. This seat was the only National Assembly seat for PTI in Sindh that it won.
During the Tsunami March in 2014, Alvi faced several charges, including inciting violence and attacking PTV, but was later granted bail. In the 2018 elections, Alvi again won the National Assembly seat from constituency NA-247, defeating the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan candidate by securing 91,020 votes.
President of Pakistan
On 18 August 2018, Arif Alvi was nominated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the post of President of Pakistan. He was elected the 13th President of Pakistan in the presidential election held on 4 September 2018, where he secured 352 electoral votes, defeating Fazlur Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan, who secured 184 and 124 votes respectively. After being elected president, Arif Alvi thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan and the government coalition. He became the third president of Pakistan whose family migrated from India to Pakistan after the partition of India.
On 5 September 2018, Alvi resigned his seat in the National Assembly, and was sworn in as the 13th President of Pakistan on 9 September. On September 17, he addressed the National Assembly for the first time as President.
In 2018, he launched the Presidential Initiative on Artificial Intelligence and Computing (PIAIC) to develop Pakistan in the technology sector.
Alavi’s five-year term expired on 8 September 2023, but he remained in office due to the absence of the Electoral College. This extended term made him the second president in the country’s history to remain in office beyond his term.
In March 2024, his tenure fully ended. In June 2024, Arif Alvi expressed concerns over military trials of civilians following the May 9 riots, which could damage the military’s reputation domestically and internationally.
Political Disputes
On 3 April 2022, President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan to prevent a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister. The move was challenged by the Supreme Court, which declared it unconstitutional and restored the National Assembly on 7 April 2022. On 9 April, the no-confidence motion was successful, and Imran Khan was removed as prime minister. The move drew heavy criticism from President Alvi, and the Supreme Court declared his decision “against the constitution and the law.”
In April 2022, Alavi could not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif due to illness, for which he faced further criticism. Critics accused him of showing favoritism in favor of the PTI instead of acting with constitutional impartiality.
In August 2023, Arif Alvi refused to sign two important bills: the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023. He later revealed that the signing of these bills had not been brought to his knowledge and that his staff had undermined his authority. The dispute led to a constitutional crisis, as the constitution requires the president to approve or reject bills within ten days.
In March 2024, Arif Alvi faced another controversy when he delayed convening the National Assembly for the newly elected MNAs. He twice rejected summaries sent by the caretaker prime minister, accusing him of violating the constitution.
Credible sources such as the Friday Times and The News saw Alavi’s presidency as one of controversy and disagreements with government institutions and often accused him of prioritizing party interests over national interests.
In July 2024, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar announced that the government had decided to ban PTI and take Article 6 action against Imran Khan and Arif Alvi under high treason charges. The action was taken in response to the dissolution of the assembly during a no-confidence motion in April 2022.
Career Statistics
13th President of Pakistan
9 September 2018 – 10 March 2024
| Name | Info |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Succeeded | Asif Ali Zardari |
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
13 August 2018 – 6 September 2018
| Name | Info |
| Preceded | Himself |
| Succeeded | Aftab Siddiqui |
| Constituency | NA-247 (Karachi South-II) |
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018
| Name | Info |
| Preceded | Khushbakht Shujaat |
| Succeeded | Himself |
| Constituency | NA-250 (Karachi-XII) |
FAQ (Q & A)
What is the qualification of Dr. Arif Alvi?
- Dr. Arif Alvi holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from De’Montmorency College of Dentistry, Lahore. He also pursued postgraduate studies in Prosthodontics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Orthodontics at the University of the Pacific, San Francisco.
Who is the new President of Pakistan?
- As of my last update in October 2023, Dr. Arif Alvi was the President of Pakistan. Updated information would be needed if a new president has been elected since then.
What are the qualifications for the President of Pakistan?
- Must be a Pakistani citizen.
- Must be at least 45 years old.
- Must be eligible to be elected as a member of the National Assembly.
- Cannot hold any office of profit.
- Must take the constitutional oath as outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan.
Who was the President of Pakistan before Arif Alvi?
- Dr. Arif Alvi was preceded by Mamnoon Hussain, who served as the President of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018.
Who is the youngest surgeon in Pakistan?
- There is no publicly available specific information about the youngest surgeon in Pakistan at the moment.
Who is who in Pakistan in 2024?
- Important figures in Pakistan in 2024 include the President (if there is a new one), the Prime Minister, key cabinet members, prominent business leaders, notable artists, and public figures in various fields.
Who is Arif Alvi?
- Dr. Arif Alvi is the President of Pakistan, elected in 2018. He is a politician associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and is a trained dentist by profession.
Is Arif Alvi Shia?
- Dr. Arif Alvi’s religious denomination has not been publicly stated. He follows Islam, but specific details about his sect are not widely known.
How many votes can Arif Alvi expect in the presidential election?
- The number of votes Dr. Arif Alvi could expect in an election would depend on various factors, including political alliances and support from the electoral bodies.
How to say, Arif Alvi?
- The name “Arif Alvi” is pronounced as “Aa-rif Al-vee.”
What did Arif Alvi study at Michigan?
- Dr. Arif Alvi studied Prosthodontics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
What is Arif Alvi’s religion?
- Dr. Arif Alvi follows Islam. However, specific details about his sect or denomination are not widely known.
