PTI founder Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, has nominated Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, party Secretary General Salman Akram Raja announced on Wednesday.
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The move follows the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision earlier this month to disqualify PTI’s Omar Ayub Khan as NA opposition leader and Shibli Faraz from the same role in the Senate—along with several other PTI lawmakers—over their convictions in the May 9 cases. Both leaders were formally removed from their posts on August 8.
Speaking outside the Supreme Court, Raja said Imran has also nominated Azam Khan Swati as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, while five names have been sought to finalise the opposition leader for the Punjab Assembly. He added that the PTI founder has tasked the party’s political committee with handling by-election matters, with a meeting scheduled later today to decide the strategy.
The development comes as the Peshawar High Court last week issued a stay order against the appointments of new opposition leaders in the NA and Senate, while also seeking ECP’s response to petitions filed by Ayub and Faraz challenging their disqualification.
PTI, now part of a six-party coalition under TTAP, has stepped up opposition efforts. The alliance, formalised in July, pledged full support for anti-government protests and recently held a multi-party conference calling for a new “social contract” to restore the Constitution and democracy, after officials allegedly blocked access to their original venue.
Achakzai currently heads TTAP as chairman, with PTI’s Asad Qaiser serving as Secretary General.
