Asif Ali Zardari takes oath as 14th president of Pakistan

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD : Asif Ali Zardari today took oath as the 14th President of Pakistan.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to Asif Ali Zardai at a ceremony held at the President House in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, former Prime Minister and PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif, parliamentarians, political leaders, Services Chiefs and other high officials attended the ceremony.

Asif Ali Zardari, as a joint candidate of the PML-N and the PPP, defeated Sunni Ittehad Council candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai in the presidential elections held on Saturday. Asif Ali Zardari is the first elected president of Pakistan, who succeeded in reaching the president office for a second time. Earlier, he served as the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013 and was the first politician to complete a full term in office.

Under 18th Amendment, he gave away the presidential powers to strengthen parliamentary democracy and bolstered provincial autonomy, and coined political reconciliation. President Asif Ali Zardari, during his first term, also helped policies that encompassed freedom of media, revolutionized telecommunications, revived Pakistan’s energy sector, opened Pakistan to foreign direct investment and strengthen state-owned enterprises.

The PPP government under his leadership got a consensus among all the political parties on the seventh National Finance Commission award which increased provinces’ financial autonomy. The PPP-led government also unveiled the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package aimed at fast track progress and development in the province.

To eradicate crippling polio disease from the country, President Asif Ali Zardari also launched Pakistan’s National Emergency Action Plan 2011.

President of Iran felicitates President Zardari: President of Iran Syed Ebrahim Raeesi in a message congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as the president of Pakistan.

President Raeesi expressed hope that during his presidency, the relations between the two countries, having historical, cultural and religious history, will be more developed and deepened than before.

The Iranian President stated, “As always, and especially in the new era, the Islamic Republic of Iran declares its readiness to expand relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

Xi Jinping felicitates Asif Zardari on election as President: Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as President of Pakistan.

In his message today, Xi Jinping said China and Pakistan are good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers.

He said the two countries have achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and maintained a high level of development of bilateral relations. The Chinese President said Beijing is ready to work with President Zardari to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries.