The Sunni Itehad Council (SIC) has put forward Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the leader of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, as their candidate for the upcoming presidential election scheduled for March 9.
Achakzai will be vying against Asif Ali Zardari, who is the joint candidate of several parties including PMLN and PPP.
The electoral process commenced on Saturday with designated officers appointed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) receiving nomination papers. The chief judges of high courts in Sindh, KP, Balochistan, and Islamabad have been appointed as presiding officers, while in Punjab, an ECP member will serve as the presiding officer.
Nomination papers must be submitted before 12 pm on Saturday, with scrutiny scheduled for March 4. Candidates will have until March 5 to withdraw from the race if they wish.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah submitted nomination papers for Asif Ali Zardari at the Sindh High Court, with the papers being proposed by Shah and seconded by Nasir Hussain Shah.
PTI sources indicate that Imran Khan has approved Achakzai’s candidacy, though formal assent is yet to be granted, pending a meeting with party leaders later today.
Sher Afzal Marwat, representing PTI, hinted during a television appearance on Friday that Achakzai would be the party’s nominee for the presidential election.
Given that PTI-backed lawmakers have aligned with SIC in the national and provincial assemblies, the SIC nominee effectively represents PTI’s choice.
Although the incumbent president, Arif Alvi of PTI, has completed his five-year term, he continues to serve until his successor is elected.
The new president will be chosen by an extensive electoral college comprising lawmakers from the national and provincial assemblies, as well as the Senate of Pakistan.
While PTI holds a majority in the KP Assembly, PMLN and PPP dominate other assemblies.
