By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, as the new opposition leader in the National Assembly, a senior official from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said Wednesday.
The announcement follows the disqualification earlier this month of PTI’s previous opposition leaders in both houses of parliament over convictions linked to violence in May 9, 2023. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan as the National Assembly opposition leader and Shibli Faraz from the same role in the Senate, along with other opposition lawmakers, following their convictions in May 9 cases. Both PTI opposition leaders were formally removed from their posts on August 8.
PTI secretary-general Salman Akram Raja told reporters outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad that Khan had also nominated Azam Khan Swati as leader of the opposition in the Senate. “Azam Khan Swati has been nominated as leader of the opposition in the Senate.” Khan had nominated Achakzai, who currently leads the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), to take Ayub’s place.
Raja said Khan had asked for five names to decide on his nominee for the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly. “The PTI founder has entrusted the matter of by-elections [to seats vacated after recent convictions of lawmakers in May 9 cases] to the party’s political committee,” he said. “A political committee meeting will be held later today, where a decision will be made in this regard.”
Last week, the Peshawar High Court issued a stay order on the appointments of new opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate. The bench also issued notices to the ECP, seeking its response to two separate petitions filed by Ayub and Faraz. The petitions challenged their disqualification and de-notification as member of the National Assembly and senator, respectively.
The PTI is part of a coalition of six opposition parties operating under the TTAP banner, which was formed last year. Earlier this month, the opposition alliance organised a multi-party conference, after which it appealed for a new social contract to restore the Constitution and democracy. The TTAP formalised its organisational structure in July, declaring blanket support for all anti-government protests.
In a separate address in Lahore, Raja said the people need to come together and stand up against oppression, adding that they need to fight for their rights as enshrined in the Constitution. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what party you belong to; if you have empathy, we are all together,” he said. “For the permanence of humanity and dignity, we need to fight this war.”
The PTI general secretary highlighted that anyone can be detained for any reason, warning that nobody has freedom. “There is only one law in this country, its name is fear,” he emphasised.
“We are all part of one big struggle for human rights. What does the supremacy of law and the Constitution mean? It means having the right to stand up and protest, as in Article 17. Article 15 allows free movement. Article 19 says we can raise and spread our voice together” Raja said. “We have to fight for the farmers and the downtrodden,” he added. “I listened to people in Sindh, it brought tears to my eyes, but this is not only in Sindh, it is commonplace.”
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