ISLAMABAD:
Opposition parties in the National Assembly, led by the PTI, have submitted a formal application to the lower house of parliament, nominating PkMAP leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai as opposition leader.
A group of opposition lawmakers, including PTI’s Aamir Dogar and Asad Qaiser, submitted the nomination on Tuesday, bearing the signatures of 74 MPs. Three PTI members could not sign the application as they are currently abroad.
NA Additional Secretary (Legislation) Mushtaq Ahmed received the application and the advisor’s office allotted a journal number to it.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament after the meeting, Asad Qaiser said Mehmood Khan Achakzai had rendered remarkable services to democracy, which is why all opposition parties unanimously expressed their confidence in him.
PTI’s Aamir Dogar said 74 opposition members had signed the demand, adding that Achakzai would be the unanimous voice of the opposition.
He said the PTI had also nominated Achakzai as its presidential candidate and keeping the post of opposition leader vacant was not in the interest of Parliament. Dogar expressed hope that National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq would approve the request soon.
“The eyes of the entire nation are fixed on the petition against the 26th Constitutional Amendment: if accepted, it will establish the true rule of the Constitution and law in the country.”
Commenting on the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Asad Qaiser said that if the two countries continued dialogue, it would bring peace, stability and new employment opportunities.
He said reopening trade corridors would enable Pakistan’s exports to reach Central Asian countries. He also urged the federal government to allow a meeting between newly elected Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI founder Imran Khan.
“This is our legitimate demand, and all political colleagues should be allowed to meet Imran,” he added. Imran Khan has been detained in Adiala Prison, Rawalpindi, for two years.
He said KP is yet to receive its share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) awards, stating that after the merger of FATA tribal areas with KP, the provinces’ share is 19% “but we are yet to receive even a single rupee”.
Qaiser pointed out that the province is not begging anyone but demanding their legal right. He said the KP should not be punished “just because it supports Imran”.
