President Arif Alvi on Tuesday responded to criticism regarding the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his family business, Alvi Dental, with Bringing Smiles USA, saying that the choice of venue was "a matter of poor judgment".
The MoU was signed a day earlier at the Governor House in Karachi and was announced by the president’s son, Dr Awab Alvi, on Twitter.
In response, the president congratulated his son, wishing him and his friends success and lauding them for bringing foreign investment to the country.
The image of the MoU signing showed the president in attendance and raised several eyebrows.
Questions were asked on social media, including whether this was a direct conflict of interest. Some were of the view that this was merely a familial obligation.
Alvi Dental is a private dental business run by the president’s son, from which Dr Arif Alvi resigned, states his son, after he was appointed president in 2018.
However, the website of the practice still lists the president as a dentist and part of “Our Team”, even providing an option to "schedule an appointment".