Arif Alvi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arif Alvi
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عارف علوی
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Official portrait, 2018
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| 13th President of Pakistan | |
| In office 9 September 2018 – 10 March 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Imran Khan Shehbaz Sharif Anwaar ul Haq Kakar Shehbaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Succeeded by | Asif Ali Zardari |
| Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan | |
| In office 13 August 2018 – 6 September 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Imran Khan |
| Succeeded by | Aftab Siddiqui |
| Constituency | NA-241 Karachi South-III |
| In office 1 June 2013 – 31 May 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Khushbakht Shujaat |
| Succeeded by | Arif Alvi |
| Constituency | NA-241 Karachi South-III |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Political party | PTI (1996–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
JI (1979–1988) |
| Spouse | Samina Alvi |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent | Habib-ur-Rehman Elahi Alvi (father) |
| Residence | Karachi |
| Education | De'Montmorency College of Dentistry (BS) University of Michigan (MS) University of the Pacific (MS) |
| Occupation | |
Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi is a Pakistani politician and a former dentist. He served as the 13th President of Pakistan from 2018 to 2024. Before becoming president, he was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan.
Alvi started his political journey in 1979 by joining a party called Jamaat-e-Islami. Later, he left that party and became one of the people who helped start the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. He was elected to the National Assembly in 2013 and again in 2018. In 2018, he was chosen as the PTI's candidate for president and won the election. He became president on September 9, 2018, taking over from Mamnoon Hussain.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Family Background
Arif Alvi's father, Habib-ur-Rehman Elahi Alvi, was a dentist. He lived in Delhi, which was part of British India at the time. After Pakistan was created, his family moved to Karachi. There, his father opened a dental clinic. Alvi's father was also involved in politics with the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan party.
School and University
Arif Alvi started his early schooling in Karachi. He later moved to Lahore in 1967 to study dentistry. He earned his Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from De'Montmorency College of Dentistry. He continued his studies in the United States, getting a master's degree in prosthodontics from the University of Michigan in 1975. In 1984, he received another master's degree in orthodontics from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California. After finishing his education, he returned to Pakistan and started his own dental practice, the Alvi Dental Hospital.
Professional Career
Arif Alvi had a successful career as a dentist before becoming a full-time politician.
- In 1981, he was the Chairman of the first Pakistan International Dental Conference.
- He also became the Chairman of the Third Pakistan International Dental Conference in 1987.
- He helped create the rules for the Pakistan Dental Association and later became its president.
- He was also the Chairman of the 28th Asia Pacific Dental Congress.
Alvi served as the Dean of the Faculty of Orthodontics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. In 2006, he was chosen as the President of the Asia Pacific Dental Federation. The next year, he became a Councillor for the FDI World Dental Federation, which is a global dental organization.
Political Journey
Alvi's political journey began when he was a student.
Student Politics
While studying dentistry, Alvi was very active in student unions. He joined a student group called Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, which was connected to the Jamaat-e-Islami party. He even became the president of his student union. He was known for speaking out against the government of Ayub Khan in the 1960s. During a protest in 1969, he was shot twice, and one bullet still remains in his body.
Joining PTI
Alvi became more active in politics after the 1977 general election was announced. In 1979, he ran for a seat in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh but did not win. In 1988, he left the Jamaat-e-Islami party because he felt it was too focused on a narrow view of politics. He believed that honest leaders were the real solution for Pakistan's problems.
Inspired by Imran Khan, Alvi joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in 1996. He was one of the founding members and helped write the party's rules. He became the president of PTI's Sindh chapter in 1997.
Elections and Roles
Alvi ran for elections several times:
- In 1997, he tried to win a seat in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh but was not successful.
- In 2002, he ran again for the Provincial Assembly of Sindh but did not win.
- In 2006, he became the Secretary General of PTI, a role he held until 2013.
In the 2013 Pakistani general election, Alvi was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan. He was the only PTI member to win a National Assembly seat from the Sindh province in that election.
During a large protest in 2014, Alvi and other PTI leaders faced legal issues related to alleged violence. However, in 2018, a court granted them bail in these cases. In 2016, he was made president of the PTI Sindh chapter.
He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 2018 Pakistani general election.
Presidency (2018-2024)
On August 18, 2018, PTI chose Arif Alvi as their candidate for president. He was elected as the 13th President of Pakistan on September 4, 2018. He won against Fazal-ur-Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan. After winning, Alvi thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan and the government for their support. He became the third President of Pakistan whose family had moved to Pakistan from India. He officially became president on September 9, 2018.
In 2018, he started the Presidential Initiative for Artificial Intelligence & Computing (PIAIC), which is a program to teach people about new technologies like artificial intelligence.
Alvi's five-year term as president officially ended on September 8, 2023. However, he continued to serve in office because a new president could not be elected right away. This made him the second president in Pakistan's history to have an extended term. His time as President of Pakistan ended on March 8, 2024.
Challenges During Presidency
During his time as president, Alvi faced some challenges and disagreements:
- In April 2022, he dissolved the National Assembly based on advice from Prime Minister Imran Khan. This was done to stop a vote that could have removed Khan from his position. However, the Supreme Court of Pakistan later said this action was against the Constitution and brought the National Assembly back.
- He was also criticized for missing the oath-taking ceremony of the new Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, in April 2022. Some people felt he was showing favoritism towards his party instead of being neutral.
- In August 2023, Alvi did not sign two important bills into law. He later said he disagreed with parts of these bills and that his staff had acted against his instructions. This caused some discussion because, by the Constitution, he should have either approved or rejected the bills within ten days. The bills were confirmed later without his clear decision.
- In March 2024, Alvi was criticized for delaying the first meeting of the new National Assembly after the 2024 Pakistani general election. He waited until the last moment, citing concerns about how some seats were given out.
Some news organizations have written that Alvi's presidency was marked by disagreements with elected governments and other state institutions. He was often seen as a president who supported his party, PTI, rather than being a leader for everyone in the country.
Personal Life
Arif Alvi is married to Samina Alvi. They have four children, all of whom are married.
Alvi enjoys reading about many different topics. These include quantum physics, the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. He is interested in new ideas and technologies.
See also
In Spanish: Arif Alvi para niños
