President Arif Alvi has summoned a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate tomorrow (Thursday) at 5pm, the President House announced on Tuesday. The joint session has been summoned in line with the Article 54 (1) and 56 (3) of the Constitution. The development comes after the federal government overcame its reluctance to President Alvi’s address to the joint sitting of parliament and agreed to send him an official request in this regard. The president, who was appointed during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had been formally invited to address the joint session of parliament. The federal government, coalition parties and the speaker’s office had held a lengthy discussion on the matter. They had come to the conclusion that the president’s address to the joint session was essential for the new parliamentary year. Meanwhile, President Alvi, through letters addressed to prime minister, ministers, parliamentarians, governors and the media, solicited their support to raise awareness about breast cancer and the importance of self-examination and early diagnosis. The president invited the key office-holders to become active and willing partners in this year’s breast cancer awareness campaign wherein women of underprivileged classes and of flood-hit areas would be especially focused in the wake of recent devastating floods where women were worst hit. The president expressed his concern that out of 100,000 new cases of breast cancer reported every year in Pakistan, half of them succumbed to death due to late diagnosis. He added that 98 percent of these precious lives could be saved by creating awareness amongst women for self-examination and early diagnosis. President Alvi highlighted that the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign of the last four years, led by First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi, had resulted in a significant increase in the early reporting of breast cancer cases in the hospitals. In his letters addressed to the eminent media persons, he thanked them for their continuous support during the last four years and said that without their valued support and passionate partnership the success of the campaigns could have not been possible.