Who is Dr Arif Alvi?

Dr Arif Alvi is the presidential candidate, fielded by the ruling coalition in the government, led by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Alvi’s political stint extends to a period of over five decades that commenced with his involvement in student politics as a president of the student union at de’Montmorency College of Dentistry in Lahore.

Dr Alvi played an eminent part of the 1969’s student movement during Gen Ayub Khan’s military regime and, as his party men say, was among those who stood for democracy in the country.

According to PTI activists, during one of the demonstrations at The Mall in Lahore, he was shot and wounded. However, he “still ‘proudly’ carries a bullet embedded in his right arm as an emblem of his struggle for democracy in Pakistan”.

A dentist by profession, Dr Alvi is credited to co-find PTI along with few other members. He contested for Sindh Assembly seats in the general elections of 1997 and 2002, but remained unsuccessful.

A prominent PTI stalwart, Dr Alvi is regarded as one of the authors of the PTI’s constitution. He was part of the party’s central executive council for a year since 1996 after which he was designated the position of party’s president in Sindh in 1997.

He was promoted to the post of vice president in 2001, following which he became the party’s secretary general in 2006, a post he worked for till 2013.

Dr Alvi also won from the NA-250 constituency of Karachi in the 2013 elections.

In the general election of July 25 2018, he was elected to the National Assembly from Karachi's NA-247 after bagging 91,020 votes. His opponent, Syed Zaman Ali Jaffrey of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), mustered 24,680 votes only.

Dr Arif Alvi is likely to be elected the 13th President of Pakistan on Tuesday. He faces Pakistan People’s Party nominated Aitzaz Ahsan, and JUI-F’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman, fielded by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and some other opposition groups.

Read more:  Presidential Election Live: PTI’s Arif Alvi all set to be elected 13th President of Pakistan

Dr Alvi, talking to the media just an hour before polling for the presidential election begins, said he is not going to remain inactive as the president of the country.

He further vowed to resolve issues like water scarcity, health and justice during his tenure.

Keeping in view number of PTI lawmakers, Dr  Alvi is the most favourite candidate to win the election. 

Polling for the election will continue until 4pm.