Asif Ali Zardari sworn in as 14th President of Pakistan

Asif Ali Zardari, the Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was sworn in as the 14th president of Pakistan on Sunday, following his election victory with a significant margin the previous day. The oath-taking ceremony was conducted at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad, with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa administering the oath.

Attending the ceremony were Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, outgoing president Arif Alvi, all three service chiefs, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza. Additionally, governors from all four provinces, chief ministers, and foreign diplomats were present.

Zardari, the joint candidate of the ruling alliance, secured his second term as president after defeating PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai by a large margin. Supported by allied parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Zardari obtained 411 electoral votes across parliament and the provincial assemblies.

Achakzai managed to secure a majority only in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, where the SIC holds sway. In the National Assembly, Zardari garnered 225 votes, compared to Achakzai’s 119. In the Sindh Assembly, Zardari received 53 votes, while his opponent managed only three.

Similarly, Zardari secured 43 votes in the Punjab Assembly, eight in the KP Assembly, and 47 in the Balochistan Assembly, whereas Achakzai obtained 18, 41, and 0 votes in the respective assemblies.

This marks Zardari’s second presidency; he previously held the position from 2008 to 2013. He has also been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018. Born in 1955 and educated in Karachi, Zardari was married to Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Pakistan’s former prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was assassinated in December 2007.

Zardari’s ascension to the presidency sees him replacing Dr. Arif Alvi, who remained in office for an additional five months beyond his five-year term, which officially ended in September 2023.

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