By Dr Arif Alvi is about to make history as the fourth democratically elected president of Pakistan to successfully complete a full five-year term, officially concluding his tenure today, which happens to be a Friday.
Before Dr Alvi, the only three presidents who managed to serve their full terms were Chaudhary Fazal Elahi, who was the fifth president and served from 1973 to 1978, Asif Ali Zardari, the 11th president, in office from 2008 to 2013, and Mamnoon Hussain, the 12th president, who held the position from 2013 to 2018. Dr Alvi will also join the ranks as the third consecutive president to enjoy an entire term.
Interestingly, due to the absence of an electoral college to select a new president, Dr. Alvi is likely to remain in office indefinitely. This would make him one of the few heads of state in Pakistan’s history to have an extended term, although Chaudhry Elahi also spent an additional month as a figurehead before Ziaul Haq took office on September 16, 1978.
Last week, during consultative meetings, President Alvi had agreed to fulfil his duties until the appointment of his successor. It’s important to note that in the absence of the National and provincial assemblies, the president cannot be removed from office upon completing his term unless he voluntarily chooses to leave or resign.
As we approach the end of Dr Alvi’s presidency, speculations are running high, given Pakistan’s track record of often handling the departures of its heads of state in a less-than-ideal manner, including formidable army generals.
Out of the 13 Pakistani presidents to date, at least seven had to step down abruptly due to various circumstances, while one, General Ziaul Haq, tragically died in a plane accident in August 1988 while still in office.
The presidents who left their positions against their will and due to circumstances beyond their control include Iskander Mirza, General Ayub Khan, General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Farooq Leghari, Rafiq Tarar, and General Pervez Musharraf. Interestingly, three of these presidents were army generals and faced challenging times after leaving office.
Additionally, two bills related to amendments to the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act have recently been passed by the parliament. Dr Alvi, however, publicly stated that he did not sign these bills and disagreed with the new laws, posting this on a social media platform. He also accused his own staff of not following his orders, drawing criticism from his critics, who advised him to resign if he couldn’t control his staff.
