Asif Ali Zardari takes oath as 14th president of Pakistan

Asif Ali Zardari, who was elected as 14^th president of Pakistan yesterday, took oath of his office at the President House in Islamabad on Sunday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to the new president.

All services chiefs, chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Assefa Bhutto and Bakhtawar Bhutto were also present at the ceremony.

Earlier, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s notification, Asif Zardari got 411 votes in the presidential election while his rival Mehmood Khan Achakzai, candidate of PTI-Sunni Ittehad Council secured 181 votes.

Zardari received 255 votes from the National Assembly and Senate, 151 from the Sindh Assembly, 246 in Punjab, 17 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 47 in the Balochistan Assembly. Mahmood Khan Achakzai got 100 votes in the National Assembly. Overall 352 lawmakers cast votes and six were rejected by the presiding officer.

Ruling coalition candidate Zardari bagged 58 votes and PTI-backed SIC candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai three in the Sindh Assembly.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai received 91 votes in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and Asif Ali Zardari 17 votes.  Of 118, 109 KP Assembly members cast ballots while one vote was rejected.

Asif Ali Zardari secured 47 votes from the Balochistan Assembly. In contrast, Mahmood Khan Achakzai could not secure a single vote in the provincial assembly, according to a result announced by a presiding officer.

After losing the presidential election to PPP’s Asif Zardari, Mahmood Khan Achakzai said the poll was generally fair.

“The most unusual thing about this election was that the first time,  votes were neither bought nor sold,” he said while speaking to the media In Islamabad.

“There are some people in Pakistan who think that everything can be bought and sold he Pakistan,” he said, adding that there is a distinction growing between people who can buy and those who can't." He also expressed his gratitude to the PTI leadership for their support.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has also released Form 7 related to the results of the presidential election on Sunday.
According to Form 7, Asif Ali Zardari was declared successful with 411 votes.

Reporters: Awais Kiani and Usman Khan