The Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: FACEBOOK
ISLAMABAD:
The process of nominating the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly is likely to begin in the next parliamentary session scheduled for January 12, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq told PTI leader Amir Dogar in a meeting on Monday.
According to a press release issued by the Secretariat of the National Assembly, the meeting focused on the procedure for appointing the leader of the opposition.
Dogar presented the speaker with a certified copy of the Peshawar High Court (PHC)’s dismissal of the petition filed by former opposition leader Omar Ayub and urged that the appointment process be expedited.
He pointed out that the PTI had withdrawn all pending legal cases regarding the opposition leader’s seat, thus paving the way for a fresh start. He said that with the legal hurdles resolved; there are now no obstacles to the appointment of the leader of the opposition.
The statement further said that Speaker Ayaz Sadiq assured that the process would be conducted in strict accordance with the law and the Constitution, and that he would brief the House on the matter in the next session.
“The process of appointing the leader of the opposition will be relaunched,” he added, stressing that the rules of the National Assembly governing this position are clear.
An official document from the President’s office said four letters had already been sent to the PTI seeking clarification on issues related to the nomination.
The secretariat confirmed that the constitutional process would continue in the next session after verification of the signatures of opposition members, ensuring that all procedural requirements are met.
This latest development ended months of uncertainty surrounding the position of opposition leader, which became vacant in August 2025 when the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified Omar Ayub following his conviction in cases related to the May 9 riots.
Imran Khan nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai, leader of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and head of the opposition grand alliance, as his candidate, and the PTI formally requested his nomination in October 2025.
The delay was largely due to ongoing legal petitions filed by Ayub, challenging his disqualification and related procedural matters.
Although he withdrew his petition to the Supreme Court in October, some cases remain pending before the PHC. The president’s office cited these reasons for not sending official notice to Achakzai, repeatedly informing opposition delegations that the matter was pending.
In a recent letter to Dogar, the NA Secretariat noted that although the opposition had told Parliament that Ayub’s cases were no longer pending, this had not been communicated in writing.
The secretariat sought confirmation of the current status of the matters in which it was a party in order to complete the “prescribed process” of declaring the opposition leader.
With these legal and procedural hurdles now overcome, PTI candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai is expected to assume the position once the process officially begins.
