Alauddin Marri took oath as the caretaker chief minister of Balochistan in a ceremony held in Quetta on Friday.

Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai administered the oath to Marri, whose name for the provincial caretaker role was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday.

With Marri's oathtaking, the interim chief ministers of all four provinces have taken oath to serve for the less-than-two-month period until general elections on July 25.

ECP Additional Secretary Akhtar Nazir had said that the decision to name Marri for the post was taken unanimously by members of the ECP.

Marri's name had been shortlisted as a nominee for the post, along with Sardar Shau­kat Aziz Popal­zai (both proposed by the government), and Aslam Bhootani and Jahan­gir Ashraf Qazi (recommended by the opposition).

The process of selection of caretaker chief minister of Balochistan had been referred to the ECP after the government-nominated members in Quetta did not turn up at a meeting of the parliamentary committee.

Subsequently, both the government and opposition forwarded the names of the shortlisted nominees to the ECP for the final decision after failing to reach consensus on one candidate.

Who is Alauddin Marri?

Alauddin Marri, a businessman and social worker from Mastung, is the son of former bureaucrat Ghulam Moheyuddin Marri and is not a member of any political party.

He was born in Quetta in 1979. He received his primary education from Tameer-i-Nau Public School in Quetta and his secondary education from the Tameer-i-Nau Public College. He graduated from Balochistan University.

He has served as chairman of the Pakistan European Business Council of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Marri had earlier this year filed nomination papers for the recent Senate election as an independent candidate, but later withdrew them.