Arif Alvi

Title & tenure

13th President of Pakistan (2018–2024)

In office: 2018 – 2024

Predecessor:

Mamnoon Hussain

Successor:

Asif Ali Zardari

Biography

Arif Alvi, a dentist by profession and a founding member of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was elected President in 2018 after PTI's general election victory, and remained in office through a period of major political turbulence including his own party's removal from power.

Achievements

• Served as a founding member and senior leader of PTI from its early years, well before the party's rise to national power
• Continued in office as a largely ceremonial head of state through the change of government in 2022

Key events

• Took office in 2018 following Imran Khan's PTI election victory
• Imran Khan's government was removed via a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April 2022, after which Alvi continued as President under a new coalition government led by Shehbaz Sharif
• Remained a politically contentious figure in his final years in office amid disputes with the government over the timing of elections and assent to certain legislation

Legacy

Alvi's presidency spanned one of Pakistan's most turbulent recent political periods, including a change of government through a no-confidence vote and prolonged disputes over the election schedule, testing the ceremonial presidency's role during a period of acute political polarization.

How it ended

Completed his term in 2024 and was succeeded by Asif Ali Zardari, who returned to the presidency for a second, non-consecutive term.