A joint session of the Parliament to elect the next president of Pakistan has been summoned on March 9 by newly-elected National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. In a notification issued on Sunday, the speaker summoned the session at 10am, Saturday. 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 move 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) on Saturday. 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. However, Fazl later decided not to participate in the voting for the president. 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.