Mahmood Khan Achakzai Refuses to Resign as Opposition Leader

Mahmood Khan Achakzai has refused to resign as leader of the opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly, despite reports that a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) committee discussed asking him to step down.

Achakzai reportedly told close associates after a meeting of his Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan group late Sunday that he would leave the position only if Imran Khan, the PTI founder currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail, personally asked him to resign.

“If the person in Adiala Jail who nominated me as leader of the opposition asks me to leave the position, I will resign,” Achakzai was quoted as saying.

The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief was appointed leader of the opposition by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in January this year, following a prolonged dispute over his credentials and eligibility for the position.

Achakzai, whose party is represented by him as its sole member of parliament, was nominated for the role by Imran Khan. The PTI itself does not have representation in the National Assembly.

The reported disagreement comes after Achakzai stayed away from a long march led by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister last week. The march ended with the collapse of the PTI-led provincial government, which had been in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 13 years.

PTI-linked independent lawmakers in the National Assembly were reportedly divided over the decision to launch the march and its intended destination. The reported discussion about Achakzai’s position reflects wider tensions within opposition circles over political strategy and leadership.