The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf formally asked for the appointment of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai as the NA opposition leader. The request was sent to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan confirmed that Achakzai’s nomination papers had been submitted. This is the second time the party has officially proposed his name for the post.
The move comes after the speaker restarted the process to appoint an opposition leader. The position has remained vacant for almost five months since PTI leader Omar Ayub was disqualified.
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In the written proposal, the opposition members stated: “We, the undersigned members of the National Assembly belonging to the opposition benches, have the honour to nominate Mehmood Khan Achakzai MNA (NA-266) for appointment as the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan.”
The document cited Rule 39, saying the leader must be someone who commands majority support on opposition benches. It added: “In view of the foregoing, we hereby affirm that Mehmood Khan Achakzai enjoys the confidence and support of the majority of the members belonging to the opposition, and is, therefore, the most suitable person to hold this constitutional office.”
It further said: “The timely appointment of the leader of the opposition will ensure the effective discharge of constitutional and parliamentary responsibilities entrusted to the opposition.”
The request concluded: “We therefore request that, after following necessary procedures for the appointment of the leader of the opposition in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and the previous parliamentary practices, MNA Mehmood Khan Achakzai may please be appointed as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan at the earliest.”
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Speaking separately, Barrister Gohar said he expected Achakzai to be notified as opposition leader soon. He added that Achakzai was the only nominee submitted by PTI.
PTI founder Imran Khan had earlier named Achakzai for the role after Omar Ayub’s disqualification. The opposition has accused the government of delaying the appointment, while the speaker had earlier termed the matter “sub judice”.
