Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, has strongly criticized the imposition of an emergency and Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, calling for the immediate withdrawal of both decisions.Speaking during a session of the National Assembly, Achakzai warned that an obsession with the use of force was extremely dangerous and urged the government not to complicate matters through wordplay. He reiterated his willingness to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the interest of the country and the Constitution.

“Place two chairs here in the House, and Shehbaz bhai and I can sit face-to-face to find solutions to the country’s problems,” he said. “The decision to impose an emergency is entirely wrong. Reverse it and choose the path of dialogue with the people.” Defending former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the opposition leader described him as a decent person who had never used abusive language but had simply urged people to stand up against oppression. He stressed that the government still had time to reverse what he described as unconstitutional decisions. 

Referring to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who has come to be revered by many as a spiritual figure, or Qalandar and Peer, Achakzai questioned whether the government intended to turn Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan into a similar figure. Achakzai also pledged to meet Imran Khan privately, without disclosing details to anyone, to assess his mental and physical condition and explore the possibility of resuming negotiations from where previous talks had stalled. 

Highlighting widespread corruption and administrative shortcomings, the opposition leader alleged that corruption worth trillions of rupees was taking place in the country. He further claimed that more than 23,000 civilian and military bureaucrats held dual citizenship. He urged the country’s relevant and sensitive institutions to investigate the matter and proposed that Federal Minister Khawaja Asif be appointed to head the inquiry committee established for this purpose.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)