ISLAMABAD:
Five months after Mahmood Khan Achakzai was appointed opposition leader in the hope that he could guide the PTI from confrontation to dialogue, Tuesday’s events in the National Assembly suggested he was once again treading the familiar path of political deadlock.
During his speech to the National Assembly, Achakzai called the government “illegal”, accused it of undermining democratic institutions and questioned restrictions on the opposition’s political activities, asking Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif what “crime” the opposition had committed to be denied the right to hold public protests and rallies. Shehbaz has rejected these allegations and defended the legitimacy of his government.
The exchange intensified when the Speaker intervened and warned Achakzai against criticizing national institutions in the House. The opposition later condemned the President’s remarks, describing them as an attempt to curb parliamentary dissent.
The frustration within the PTI is no longer limited to closed doors. Ali Muhammad Khan, speaking on the record, said that the Prime Minister had invited Achakzai twice for dialogue and Achakzai now had to take a bold decision and fulfill the very purpose for which he was appointed.
The pressure is no longer just rhetoric. In recent weeks, senior PTI leader Shahid Khattak reportedly warned that the party could strip Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas of their positions and powers if they failed to deliver results.
Senator Pervaiz Rashid made it clear: Mehmood Khan Achakzai is a no-nonsense, democratic-minded leader who understands how to solve complex political problems.
However, he argued that the real problem is not with Achakzai himself but with those who appointed him as opposition leader because they are not giving him the authority he was supposed to have.
As a result, Achakzai and the wider opposition, as well as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, are facing internal difficulties.
