QUETTA: The Chairman of Pashtukhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Mahmood Khan Achakzai, has said the Constitution is being continuously violated in the country and people’s mandate has been “stolen”.

He said if the current government remained in power, people would continue to suffer.

Speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the party’s high command on Friday, he said the present rulers were a threat to the country.

“According to Article 6 of the Constitution, anyone who subverts the Constitution deserves death penalty,” Mr Achakzai said.

He added that the current situation facing the region, especially Pakistan, was a result of failures and weaknesses of both regional powers and our own rulers.

Regretting the lack of foresight by the country’s leadership, the PkMAP leader claimed he had been warning for years that Pakistan was once again becoming a battleground for international proxy wars, but sadly, no one paid heed.

“Pakistan has been mired in crises since its creation, and the current circumstances are a test of our collective wisdom and insight,” the PkMAP chief said.

Referring to the Middle East, he called developments in Iran and across the region “a warning sign for Pakistan”.

“We should not forget the examples of Libya and Iraq. Allegations are now being levelled against us too — it’s time to open our eyes,” he cautioned.

He said that not only were we initially denied the right to frame a Constitution, but even after one was created, it was never allowed to function properly. “How can a state survive under such conditions?”

Quoting a recent World Bank report, Mr Achakzai said that more than 45 per cent of the population was living below the poverty line while the country was burdened with billions of dollars in debt.

He said the entire national budget is consumed by defence expenditures and debt servicing, the judiciary has become ineffective and the media is gagged.

He criticised the “luxury lifestyle” of the ruling elite while ordinary people were struggling to put food on the table.

The assets of public servants that exceed their known sources of income should be confiscated to repay the national debt,” proposed.

He claimed people’s mandate was “forcibly snatched” and the current government has been formed through “money and might”.

“Everyone knows how this government came into being — it has no moral legitimacy,” he said.

He said that every citizen has the right to meet the founder chairman of PTI freely. Unfortunately, “a colonel sitting in jail” is even denying Mr Khan’s family members and elected representatives the right to visit him — a blatant violation of basic human and legal rights.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2025