QUETTA: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai has said that real change will come when Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be the country’s president in the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and it can be possible if the Pakistan Peoples Party withdraws its presidential candidate and vote for the joint candidate of opposition parties.

Speaking at a press conference along with Maulana Fazl, chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), after their meeting here on Friday, Mr Achakzai announced unconditional support for the former in the presidential election.

The JUI-F chief held talks with the PkMAP leadership at the residence of Majeed Khan Achakzai, a former MPA of the party. Former deputy chairman of the Senate Maulana Ghafoor Haider, MNA Maulvi Kamaluddin, Hamid Khan Achakzai, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and other leaders of the two parties were presented.

Achakzai says Maulana in President House and Imran in PM House will be ‘real change’

Mr Achakzai and Maulana Fazl said that efforts were under way to get PPP’s presidential candidate Aitzaz Ahsan withdrawn from the contest to pave the way for the success of the opposition’s joint presidential candidate.

“We appeal to the PPP leadership to withdraw its candidate in favour of the joint candidate for the unity of the opposition,” Mr Achakzai said.

Maulana Fazl criticised the PPP for not voting for Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif in the election for prime minister’s office and claimed that the joint opposition candidate could have been elected had the PPP voted for him.

“We can win the presidential election if the PPP extends its support to the joint opposition candidate,” he added.

He said his visit to Quetta remained successful as he had mustered the support of the PkMAP, Awami National Party, National Party and PML-N from Balochistan. He expressed the hope that the Balochistan National Party-Mengal would also support him for the top slot.

“I am very much optimistic that Asif Ali Zardari will withdraw Aitzaz Ahsan from the race for strengthening democracy in the country,” the JUI-F chief said.

Talking about the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s slogan of change, Mr Achakzai said: “We will bring change and people of the country will see real change when Maulana Sahib will be elected president and Imran Khan will be sitting in his office as prime minister. It will be a real change in the country.”

He said Pakistan could be made ‘Asian Tiger’ when supremacy of the Const­itution and democratic institutions was ensured. “All institutions, including the judiciary and army, should work within their jurisdiction,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2018