Zardari to face off against Achakzai

Elections for president will be held on March 9

ISLAMABAD:

The political stage is all set for a head-to-head showdown between former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as both leaders pulled out all the stops to secure allies and numerical support on Saturday ahead of the contest.

The nomination papers for both candidates were filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Farooq H Naik and Saleem Mandviwala filed Zardari's papers while PTI leaders Sardar Latif Khosa and Omar Ayub Khan filed the papers for Achakzai before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq - the presiding officer for the presidential polls.

Achakzai, backed by the recently forged alliance with the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), flexed his political muscles, seeking the support of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in a meeting at the latter's residence.

Meanwhile, in a notable development, the Awami National Party (ANP) threw its weight behind Zardari, the joint candidate representing the PPP and the PML-N for the presidency.

ANP's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Aimal Wali Khan led a delegation to Islamabad to meet with PPPP President Zardari.

During their meeting, the delegation and Zardari engaged in detailed discussions concerning the nation's current political landscape and expressed concerns about the recent election irregularities and the impending presidential elections.

Aimal expressed the ANP's endorsement, citing a commitment to provincial autonomy and recognising Zardari's role in shaping the 18th constitutional amendment, particularly beneficial to K-P.

Aimal, acknowledging Zardari's historical support and “favours”, declared: "The ANP will not vote for the coalition government but for Asif Ali Zardari's personality in the upcoming presidential elections."

On the opposing front, Achakzai, vying for the presidency under the SIC banner, approached the JUI-F chief to solicit his vote.

The meeting took place at Fazl's residence, where Achakzai invoked their shared history in the political movement, expressing hope for his support.

Read: People voiced their will: President

However, sources revealed that Fazl, representing the JUI-F, conveyed the party's decision to abstain from direct involvement in the election process.

He said he would consult the party leadership before making any decisions.

According to the ECP schedule, polling for the presidential election will be held on March 9 from 10am to 4pm, while candidates vying for the constitutional post of the country can submit their nomination papers until Saturday noon in Islamabad and four provincial capitals – Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

Nomination papers will undergo scrutiny by the returning officer in Islamabad by 10am on Monday (March 4).

The candidates have the option to withdraw their nomination papers before the returning officer in Islamabad until Tuesday noon (March 5).

On the same day, the list of candidates will be made public.

Incumbent President Dr Arif Alvi is already on an extended tenure after completing his five-year term on Sept 9 last year.

Article 44(1) of the Constitution says that the president will hold office for a term of five years from the day he assumes charge, but he continues to hold the office until a successor is chosen.

Alvi is the country’s fourth democratically elected president to complete the five-year term.

The three presidents before Dr Alvi who completed their full terms were Chaudhary Fazal Elahi (fifth president, from 1973 to 1978),

Asif Ali Zardari (11th, from 2008 to 2013), and Mamnoon Hussain (12th, from 2013 to 2018). Therefore, Dr Alvi is the third consecutive president to have a full term and the first one to have an extended term due to an incomplete electoral college, which comprises the National Assembly, Senate and the four provincial assemblies.