ISLAMABAD: The new President-elect Arif Alvi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf received felicitation from Aitzaz Ahsan, one of his competitors in the presidential polls.
PPP-backed candidate of the presidential race was speaking in ARY News program 11th Hour, where he said “It is time to let go differences as the representative institutions of Pakistan have elected the new president. There can be differences between people, but Arif Alvi is a noble man overall.”
Aitzaz Ahsan shared that the opposition was divided over the matter of fielding presidential candidate. “Maulana sahab [Fazlur Rehman] is a good person and we have always admired it; Maulana Sahab should also ignore the bitter comments of past,” the Supreme Court barrister stated.
He further hoped that the new president will fulfill his constitutional responsibilities and recounted that according to the constitution, the president is bound to seek prime minister and cabinet’s suggestion over the matters like appointing judges or army chief.
“If government loses its democratic strength then it is the job of opposition to knock the government down,” he stressed.
A day earlier, both the houses of Parliament and four provincial assemblies voted to elect Dr Arif Alvi as the 13th president of the country as the incumbent President Mamnoon Hussain is set to call it a day on this Saturday.
Alvi, the candidate of the ruling party, secured 353 presidential votes, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman received 185 votes, while Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Aitzaz Ahsan received 124 votes.
Dr Arif Alvi is a founding member and former secretary general of the PTI. He was born on August 29, 1949.
