Arif Alvi, a long-time ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan, was sworn in on Sunday as Pakistan's 13th president for a five-year term.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar administered the oath in a ceremony at the presidential palace in Islamabad attended by political and military leaders as well as diplomats.
Alvi, 69, replaced Mamnoon Hussain, an ally of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Hussain completed his five-year term on September 8.
A dentist by profession from the port city of Karachi and one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), which Khan leads, Alvi's political career spans over five decades.
In 1969, Alvi was a student leader and participated in the movement against the military regime of general Ayub Khan. He was shot during a protest in Lahore and proudly carries a bullet in his right arm "as a mark for his struggle for democracy in Pakistan."
Alvi was elected on September 4 through a secret ballot by the electoral college comprising the Senate, the national parliament and four provincial assemblies.
Once a powerful office, Pakistan's presidency has been reduced to a figurehead after its authority was curtailed in a 2010 constitutional amendment.
The president is a symbol of the federation and head of state who exercise powers on the recommendations of the prime minister.