CJP Qazi Faez Isa administers oath to newly elected president n Outgoing president Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz, COAS Gen Asim Munir, CJCSC Gen Shamshad Mirza attend ceremony.
ISLAMABAD - Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday took oath as 14th President of Pakistan at an impressive ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to Zardari. The ceremony was attended by outgoing president Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, governors, chief ministers, Speaker of the National Assembly, parliamentarians, political leaders, diplomats and media persons. However, Chief Ministers of Punjab and KP did not attend the ceremony.
Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza were also in attendance, while PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was seated next to them.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his both sisters Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari were also present at the ceremony. President Asif Ali Zardari was earlier elected as president on Saturday. Asif Zardari has become the 14th President of Pakistan to serve the country for a second term.
Earlier, he had served the country as president during 2008-2013. Zardari, who was the joint candidate of the ruling alliance, was elected as the country’s president for the second time on Saturday last after he defeated PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai by a huge margin. The president had secured 411 electoral votes in parliament and all four provincial assemblies with the backing of allied parties — mainly Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P).
Meanwhile, his rival, Achakzai bagged 181 votes as he was only able to secure the majority of votes in the PTI-backed SIC dominated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Zardari is the only individual to have been elected as head of the state for a second time and one of the four democratically elected presidents to have completed their five-year constitutional term.
After the ceremony, President Zardari came to the banquet hall and shook hand with guests. Then he left the Aiwan-e-Sadr for Zardari House, Islamabad.
President Asif Ali Zardari would formally assume his responsibilities as president today. On Monday morning, a smartly turned contingent of three armed forces would present guard of honour to the president. The President would inspect guard of honour after which he would be taken to his office. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division has notified Asif Ali Zardari as president of Pakistan.
President of Iran Syed Ebrahim Raeesi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as the president of Pakistan. President Raeesi, in his message, expressed hope that during his presidency, the relations between the two countries, having historical, cultural and religious history, will be more developed and deepened than before. “As always, and especially in the new era, the Islamic Republic of Iran declares its readiness to expand relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said.
