The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Saturday confirmed the nomination of party leader Dr Arif Alvi for the post of president.

The nomination was confirmed by party spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry on Twitter.

The announcement of PTI's presidential nominee comes hours after its chairman, Imran Khan, was sworn in as the 22nd prime minister of the country.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had announced on Thursday that the presidential election will be held on September 4 — five days before the expiry of the five-year term of President Mamnoon Hussain.

Under Article 41 (4) of the Constitution, election to the office of the president is to be held not earlier than 30 days before expiry of the term of the president in office.

The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, National Assembly and four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot.

As per the 1973 Constitution, Alvi's election to the National Assembly on the hotly contested NA-247 (Karachi) seat will stand null and void once he takes oath as the country’s president, because an elected member of the parliament cannot hold the office of the president of Pakistan.

Section 43(2) of the 1973 Constitution states:

The president shall not be a candidate for election as a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or a provincial assembly; and, if a member of Parliament or a provincial assembly is elected as president, his seat in Parliament) or ... the Provincial Assembly shall become vacant on the day he enters upon his office.

Who is Arif Alvi?

A dentist by profession, Dr Alvi is among the founding members of the PTI. He had contested for Sindh Assembly seats in the general elections of 1997 and 2002, but remained unsuccessful.

He was appointed the secretary general of PTI in 2006, a position he served until 2013.

He won from NA-250 constituency of Karachi in the 2013 elections and was appointed the president of PTI's Sindh chapter in 2016.

In the July 25, 2018 general elections, he was elected to the National Assembly from Karachi's NA-247 after bagging 91,020 votes. In comparison, his rival, Syed Zaman Ali Jaffrey of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, managed only 24,680 votes.

Schedule for presidential election

  • Aug 27, upto 12pm: Filing of nomination papers with presiding officers in Islamabad, and with each PO in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta

  • Aug 29, at 10am: Scrutiny of nomination papers by Returning Officer in Islamabad

  • Aug 30, up to 12pm: Withdrawal of candidature before RO in Islamabad

  • Sept 4, 10am-4pm: Polling day. Elections will take place at Parliament House, Islamabad; Provincial Assembly Building; Lahore, Provincial Assembly Building, Karachi; Provincial Assembly Building, Peshawar; and the Provincial Assembly Building, Quetta.

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...