LAHORE: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who also heads Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Aain, believes that what happened on May 9 last year is being blown out of proportion.

Mr Achakzai suggested that the current government should resign and a national government, to be led by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, formed to take the country forward and conduct fresh elections.

“Pakistan’s history is replete with tragedies like the one occurred on May 9. Hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was one, murder of Benazir Bhutto, preceded by the killing of Murtaza Bhutto, was yet another one. What happened on May 12 (2007) is yet another example.”

But how many of them (cases) were resolved and the culprits taken to task, wondered Achakzai.

Demands ‘national govt’ for taking country forward

“If we cannot take all of those involved in these cases to task, why single out one person? It’s time to stop singling out Imran Khan, stop witch-hunting of him and move forward,” said Mr Achazkai in a press talk here. He was flanked by Asad Qaiser, the PTI leader and former speaker of the National Assembly.

Besides, Mr Achakzai deman­ded that a national government be set up for four months for running the country.

“All major parties sit together, acknowledge and remove each other’s grudges, build a consensus on how to run the country, find a suitable person (possibly someone like Shahid Khaqan Abbasi) to lead the interim set-up and let the winner of the election run the country,” he said while talking to Dawn.com in an interview.

Mr Achakzai said that in order to move forward, the Constitution provides a clear pathway. “If everyone respects the Constitution, all current troubles of the country would be resolved. It is not our fate to be continuously ruled by the generals and corrupt politicians — who steal people’s mandate.”

Mr Achakzai said that building infrastructure — roads, streets, sewerage and drainage — could not replace the real freedom. He went on to say that the British rulers built it all better than any rulers in Pakistan. “Still we wanted them to leave because real freedom means the right to rule and decide one’s own fate — as was being demanded by PTI chief Imran Khan.”

He found solution to problems only in the supremacy of the Consti­tu­tion, sovereignty of the parliament and the rule of law, as demanded by the incarcerated Imran Khan.

“This year, Aug 14 provides us with a starting point and the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ain invites all those willing to join hands and contribute to come forward and save the country,” he declared.

On the occasion, Asad Qaiser announced that the PTI would organise seminars, rallies and discussions on Aug 13 to create awareness on the issue and convince the people on the importance of rule of law, right to self-rule, civilian supremacy and sovereignty of parliament in the national development.

Mr Qaiser said the PTI would hold a rally in Lahore on Aug 27 as it had got permission for it, claiming that the rally would be so massive that it would sweep everyone away.

“The PTI also demands its right to protest according to the law. If the Supreme Court has given this right to the PTI, why cannot this government do the same?”

He wondered how the Parliament could enact laws against the Supreme Court’s verdict. He declared that Mehmood Achakzai and other alliance partners would also challenge the law in coming days.

Uncharacteristically, Asad Qaiser also ridiculed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for her TikTok clips and reminded her that she was not mandated to rule the province. She stole the PTI mandate and better realise it.

He went on to say that Maryam’s father (Nawaz) should have had moral courage to accept defeat and refused to form governments in the centre and the province, which could have given him huge respect.

Mr Qaiser said he was in the city to inquire after the health of ailing president of the PTI Parvez Elahi and also visit PTI worker Aalia Hamza.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024